ENGLISH
REFERENCE

may well

fixed phr..
C1 Advanced Oxford

fixed phr.. you use this to say that something is very likely to happen or be true.

fixed phr.. a modal construction used to express a high degree of probability or a strong likelihood regarding a proposition.


SIMPLE

It may well rain later today.

CONTEXTUAL

If the company continues to lose money, it may well go bankrupt by the end of the year.

COMPLEX

The recent discovery of these ancient manuscripts may well force historians to reconsider everything they thought they knew about the period.

Usage

the word 'well' acts as an intensifier for the modal 'may', increasing the level of certainty.

Teaching tip

contrast this with 'might well' (slightly more tentative) and 'may as well' (used for suggestions or lack of better options) to avoid confusion.

Pitfall

It may well to happen.It may well happen.like all modal structures, 'may well' is followed by the bare infinitive without 'to'.

© 2026 English Reference