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Could

[kood; unstressed kuhd]

Example Sentences Origin

verb

a simple past tense of can¹.

auxiliary verb

(used to express possibility): I wonder who that could be at the door. That couldn't be true.

(used to express conditional possibility or ability): You could do it if you tried.

(used in making polite requests): Could you open the door for me, please?

(used in asking for permission): Could I borrow your pen?

(used in offering suggestions or advice): You could write and ask for more information. You could at least have called me.

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Could is one of our favorite verbs.

So is kibitz. Does it mean:

to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about.

chat, to converse

LEARN MORE FUN, UNUSUAL VERBS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Origin:
Middle English coude, Old English cūthe; modern -l- (from would, should) first attested 1520–30

Can be confused: could, should, would (see usage note at should).

Usage note
See care.

Example Sentences

The current deficit could be the peak, but only for the short term.

The bill does make some changes that could be positive.

Electric wands could allow future firefighters to extinguish flames with a wave of the hand, recent experiments suggest.

EXPAND

The current deficit could be the peak, but only for the short term.

The bill does make some changes that could be positive.

Electric wands could allow future firefighters to extinguish flames with a wave of the hand, recent experiments suggest.

Plant-based fuel could be coming to a gas station near you.

Hazen realized he could use the pressure bomb to test this theory.

We deposed the false queen and created a situation where the bees could make a new leader.

It could be your neighbor, your best friend, your father.

Our approach to holiday leftovers could help us eat better all year long.

But three new studies support the view that such a move would be justified and could bring large benefits.

She did not shift her feet during the recital-perhaps because the old wooden floor planks could creak loudly.

Anyone that had eyes could see we'd slaughtered an army of the little nasties.

Graphene, a one-atom-thick sheet of carbon, could end up making a pretty good camera sensor.

State officials, political parties and voting experts have all said that the impact could be sizable.

In theory, purchases of longer-term securities could have more impact by pulling down longer-term interest rates.

Within moments shooting could be heard at the south end of camp.

The first issue could be that the fun of the kitchen has somehow been lost.

California's deregulated power market and could have caused severe damage if it had happened during peak electrical usage.

If that natural mutation could be mimicked in human blood cells, patients could be endowed with immunity to the deadly virus.

Displaced agricultural workers then, though, could migrate from fields to factories and earn higher wages in the process.

If he could spit out the rice, he was telling the truth.

Another requirement was having the wall double as seating space so they, and guests, could observe the tortoise in comfort.

The consequence is that these toxic materials they produce could become more prevalent in the system.

Prominent structures such as long necks could well have been used in mating displays of dinosaurs.

If only you could snap your fingers and a garden would appear.

But he figured he could hang, maybe even squeak out a victory if the blocks went his way.

Hunt suspected that humans alone could not destroy the forests this quickly.

The first thing she did was climb to the attic to make sure she could raise the ceiling.

The layer could be switched to be transparent or semi-transparent to reveal white beneath.

Why are so many willing to believe that such an extrodinary man could never have existed.

The damage it could cause our inner-office relationship would be irreconcilable.

By doing this i feel both students and adults could use this and gane knologe about it.

One could also break up a deck space with areas of attractive pebbles or gravel.

There's a big gap between farmers' yields and experimental yields, that is, the highest that could be achieved.

It could be breakfast or it could be lunch, but either way it's absolutely delicious.

Another man in line asked the woman if he could have the sports section, since she didn't want it.

Beyond the hardiness range, the tree could be grown indoors.

Reproductions in magazines and books could be garish or out of register.

If it's in your head, it could soon be on your calendar.

As attempt after attempt failed at deciphering the script, some experts began to lose hope that it could be decoded.

To be culinarily correct and still relish your lamb, you could demand fresh mint.

The finding amazed colleagues, who had never imagined that even a trace of still-soft dinosaur tissue could survive.

Three perfectly placed mirrors in this family room create an oceanfront feel few nautical paintings could pull off.

My husband could not hear it, but it was clear as day to me.

Because he could drink it for five hours without getting bored.

So while there's many buildings out there, there's many things you could do, that doesn't mean you should do them.

She knew she could create a traffic-stopping tapestry of plants that would survive on half the water.

The proposed law could profoundly alter the currents that have long fed the city's kaleidoscopic diversity.

No university leader could have predicted the full brunt of the.

Solar-powered heaters could help save the lives of bats infected with a deadly fungus, a new study suggests.

The momentum of light could be enough to avert collisions in space.

Food security experts say these crops, if grown more widely, could help feed the hungry.

The best you can say is that things could have been worse.

And yet people here are working on a plan that could make it a.

But neuroscience could do all of these things first.

Astronauts could reach the red planet inside asteroids, which would shield crews from damaging cosmic rays, a new study says.

The creator of a marketplace for scientific research explains how it could transform the enterprise.

But they could not have fulfilled is without this unprepossessing device.

So the couple knew they could do something interesting with the modest property.

Elite players could be taking too many shots for optimal offensive efficiency,.

For poorer nations it could still be relatively mild.

Experts say it could happen again soon-with even deadlier.

The method they used could conceivably be applied to.

Ellsworth was a man with large military ambitions, but his meteoric fame came in a way he could not have hoped for: posthumously.

He knew he'd have more fun in the water if he could stay warm.

Audio therapy could help dyslexic children read by rewiring their brains.

But it is also right to be worried about where populism could take politics.

Vibrating the ear bones could create shortcuts for sounds to enter the brain, thus boosting hearing, according to new research.

Zapping nuts, spinach, lettuce and other foods with x-rays could kill more pathogens that cause nationwide disease outbreaks.

The research suggests that climate change could impact migratory patterns.

Sure, you could have a buffet, but how about turning it.

It's search giants against scam artists in an arms race that could crash the.

Scientists say damage to wildlife could last years.

Alginate from brown algae could allow stable silicon anodes to replace graphite anodes in better, cheaper batteries.

Results, however, could speak to the effects of human encroachment on animal habitats.

Each stem looks as if it could be cut off and carried away as a parasol.

As computers get smarter machines could become more intelligent than humans within a few decades, leading to an event dubbed.

As any schoolboy could tell you, winning fights enhances your status.

It could be a remotely operated robo-rat working for an.

Photosynthetic plants on other planets that revolve around different kinds of suns could be mostly gray or black.

That's when the frozen soil that gives the tundra its backbone could crumble away.

Dissecting details of the shell's structure could inspire tough.

In the short term the price could get another boost from rising stockmarkets.

More than half of the sunlike stars in our galaxy could have terrestrial planets with the potential for life, a new study says.

Then the water and earth could be fed through sluices and riffles to catch the gold.

Seedlings could be pulled and chopped for use in cooking.

Research into color-changing nanoparticles could pave the way for a new kind of display technology.

Such experiments could start fairly soon, were money available.

Newly evolved earthworms found at old mining sites eat toxic waste and could help cleanse polluted industrial land.

Spiralling radio waves could revolutionize telecommunications.

But they were established with a noble purpose, as places where doctors-in-training could study actual specimens.

The only sound you could hear were raindrops hitting the pavement.

Researchers found that farmed oysters could remove significant amounts of nitrogen in the waters of the.

Recently developed nanorod composites could change that.

Shakespeare compared sparrows to angels that could awaken dreamers from feathery beds.

Nano-cones could help neutralize manufacturing defects in solar cells.

If he could not, that meant fear of being caught had parched his throat, and his deceit was confirmed.

It could have been the premiere of a summer blockbuster.

It could change our maps, and displace people from cities and tropical islands.

Researchers identified a genetic mutation causing seedlessness in different plants, and it could be a target to make new.

Small embedded devices could be directly built onto the chip, or the chip could transmit energy wirelessly to nearby devices.

The pair, who met in architecture school, took advantage of every inch of real estate by reimagining how rooms could be used.

Better insulation for high-voltage cables could keep them dry during deluges and cut transmission loss.

When you're doing four shows a day, you could make mistakes on the first show because you could correct it by the second show.

Of course, you could always raise it up a key, find even punchier flavors to make your irresistible beef stew more bewitching.

Large arrays of pressure sensors could lend a human sense of touch to robots and.

Generation after generation of paleontologists have proposed different mechanisms that could have sent the.

But this might not be such a bad strategy, and it could have been one that.

These could also be joined by other methods or made from larger pieces of wood.

None but the pickiest churl could find a significant omission in this compilation.

Or you could organize a party to make dozens of small potted plants to sell as fund-raisers for schools or garden clubs.

It is a wonderful melange of the real and the fantastic, the never was and the never could be.

Our kitchen's retesters were amazed that such simple methods could yield so much flavor.

Scientists warn that the damage could be irreversible.

It was a gargantuan animal with immense jaws lined with railroad spike-size teeth that could be.

Doing it on the exterior could trap moisture and compromise the sill.

Still, few could have guessed the boy's next unhappy move.

If you don't have a swimming pool, you could install a cistern or rain barrels.

COLLAPSE

Dictionary.com Unabridged

auxiliary verb

to be able to; have the ability, power, or skill to: She can solve the problem easily, I'm sure.

to know how to: He can play chess, although he's not particularly good at it.

to have the power or means to: A dictator can impose his will on the people.

to have the right or qualifications to: He can change whatever he wishes in the script.

may; have permission to: Can I speak to you for a moment?

EXPAND

to have the possibility: A coin can land on either side.

COLLAPSE

verb (used with object), verb (used without object)

Obsolete. to know.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English, Old English, present indicative singular 1st, 3rd person of cunnan to know, know how; cognate with German, Old Norse, Gothic kann; see ken, know

Can be confused: can, may¹, shall, will¹ (see usage note at the current entry; see usage note at shall; see synonym note at will²).

Usage note
Can¹ and may¹ are frequently but not always interchangeable in senses indicating possibility: A power failure can (or may) occur at any time. Despite the insistence by some, that can means only “to be able” and may means “to be permitted,” both are regularly used in seeking or granting permission: Can (or May) I borrow your tape recorder? You can (or may) use it tomorrow. EXPANDSentences using can occur chiefly in spoken English. May in this sense occurs more frequently in formal contexts: May I address the court, Your Honor? In negative constructions, can't or cannot is more common than may not: You can't have it today. I need it myself. The contraction mayn't is rare.
Can but and cannot but are formal and now somewhat old-fashioned expressions suggesting that there is no possible alternative to doing something. Can but is equivalent to can only: We can but do our best. Cannot but is the equivalent of cannot help but: We cannot but protest against these injustices. See also cannot, help.

COLLAPSE

noun

a sealed container for food, beverages, etc., as of aluminum, sheet iron coated with tin, or other metal: a can of soup.

a receptacle for garbage, ashes, etc.: a trash can.

a bucket, pail, or other container for holding or carrying liquids: water can.

a drinking cup; tankard.

a metal or plastic container for holding film on cores or reels.

EXPAND

Slang: Usually Vulgar. toilet; bathroom.

Slang. jail: He's been in the can for a week.

Slang: Sometimes Vulgar. buttocks.

Military Slang.

a depth charge.

a destroyer.

COLLAPSE

verb (used with object)

10.

to preserve by sealing in a can, jar, etc.

11.

Slang. to dismiss; fire.

12.

Slang. to throw (something) away.

13.

Slang. to put a stop to: Can that noise!

14.

to record, as on film or tape.

Idioms

15.

carry the can, British and Canadian Slang. to take the responsibility.

16.

in the can, recorded on film; completed: The movie is in the can and ready for release.

Origin:
before 1000; Middle English, Old English canne, cognate with German Kanne, Old Norse kanna, all perhaps < West Germanic; compare Late Latin canna small vessel

Link To Could

Collins

World English Dictionary

could (kʊd)

—vb (takes an infinitive without to or an implied infinitive)
1.	used as an auxiliary to make the past tense of can
2.	used as an auxiliary, esp in polite requests or in conditional sentences, to make the subjunctive mood of can : could I see you tonight?; she'd telephone if she could
3.	used as an auxiliary to indicate suggestion of a course of action: you could take the car tomorrow if it's raining
4.	(often foll by well) used as an auxiliary to indicate a possibility: he could well be a spy

[Old English cūthe; influenced by would, should; see can¹]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

can

O.E. canne "a cup, container," from P.Gmc. *kanna (cf. O.S., O.N., Swed. kanna, M.Du. kanne, Du. kan, O.H.G. channa, Ger. Kanne), probably an early borrowing from L.L. canna "container, vessel," from L. canna "reed," also "reed pipe, small boat;" but the sense evolution is difficult. Modern "air-tight

EXPAND

vessel of tinned iron" is from 1867 (can-opener is from 1877). Slang meaning "toilet" is c.1900, said to be a shortening of piss-can. Meaning "buttocks" is from c.1910. The verb meaning "to put up in cans" is attested from 1871; that of "to fire an employee" is from 1905. Related: Canning. Canned "pre-recorded" first attested 1904.

could

O.E. cuðe, pt. of cunnan "to be able" (see can (v.)); ending changed 14c. to standard Eng. -d(e). The -l- was added 16c. on model of would, should, where it is historic.

COLLAPSE

Slang Dictionary

can definition

n.
the head. : Jerry landed one on Frank's can. Frank crumpled.
n.
toilet. : Restroom? Hell, I ain't tired! Where's the can?
n.
the buttocks. (Usually objectionable. See also bucket.) : The guy slipped on the ice and fell on his can.

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source

American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

could

see can (could) do with; see with half an eye, could. Also see under can; couldn't.