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could
[ kood; unstressed kuhd ]
auxiliary verb
- a simple past tense of can 1.
- (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.
could
/ kʊd /
verb
- See canused as an auxiliary to make the past tense of can 1
- See canused as an auxiliary, esp in polite requests or in conditional sentences, to make the subjunctive mood of can 1
she'd telephone if she could
could I see you tonight?
- used as an auxiliary to indicate suggestion of a course of action
you could take the car tomorrow if it's raining
- often foll by well used as an auxiliary to indicate a possibility
he could well be a spy
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Usage Note
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Word History and Origins
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Word History and Origins
Origin of could1
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Idioms and Phrases
see can (could) do with ; see with half an eye, could . Also see under can ; couldn't .Discover More
Example Sentences
Note: These are only a handful of many aborted could-be classics.
Many men (and women) evaluated Sarah Palin, the could-have-been GOP vice president from Alaska, based on her appearance.
Is this year's Sundance sales frenzy a direct result of last year's little-movie-that-could?
Jerry Brown, California's once and could-be future governor, is a master of reinvention, just like the pop icon.
That ugly fellow who swore at me the day before was in the boat, and I c-could understand him.
And Glora and Alan—in our present size-could doubtless disembark safely.
If only she could summon him from the moonlight out there; if only she were a witch-could see him, know where he was, what doing!
He was all innuendo and strange hints and whispered secrets, and I-could-if-I-woulds.
Anthony said you-could hear Emmy's tongue striking the roof of her-mouth all thee time.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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