Definitions for COULD
kʊd; unstressed kədCOULD

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. could(Verb)

   simple past tense of can

   Before I was blind, I could see very well.

   Etymology: From Middle English coude, couthe, cuthe, from Old English cūþe, past indicative and past subjunctive form of cunnan ("to be able") (compare related cūþ, whence English couth). The silent 'l' was added in the early 16th century by analogy with should and would, at which time the 'l' in those words was already also silent (and was sometimes not written, leading to shudd, wode, etc).[1]

2. could(Verb)

   conditional of can Used as a past subjunctive. Used to politely ask for permission to do something. Used to politely ask for someone else to do something. Used to show the possibility that something might happen. Used to suggest something.

   I think he could do it if he really wanted to.

   Etymology: From Middle English coude, couthe, cuthe, from Old English cūþe, past indicative and past subjunctive form of cunnan ("to be able") (compare related cūþ, whence English couth). The silent 'l' was added in the early 16th century by analogy with should and would, at which time the 'l' in those words was already also silent (and was sometimes not written, leading to shudd, wode, etc).[1]

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Could

   of Can

   Etymology: [OF. coude. The l was inserted by mistake, under the influence of should and would.]

2. Could

   was, should be, or would be, able, capable, or susceptible. Used as an auxiliary, in the past tense or in the conditional present

   Etymology: [OF. coude. The l was inserted by mistake, under the influence of should and would.]

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(3.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Could

   kood, pa.t. of Can. [M. E. coude, couth—A.S. cúðe for cunðe, was able; l is inserted from the influence of would and should.]

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'COULD' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #62

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'COULD' in Written Corpus Frequency: #88

3. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'COULD' in Verbs Frequency: #14

Anagrams for COULD »

1. cloud

How to pronounce COULD?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say COULD in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of COULD in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of COULD in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of COULD in a Sentence

1. Mike Loewengart:

   What's also important to keep an eye on is the international landscape, which is much different than what we see here. Trade tensions and varying international regulations could make it more difficult to grow abroad.

2. James Miller:

   You may not have been able to stop President Trump from directing this appalling use of force, but you could have chosen to oppose it.

3. Barack Obama:

   It's true that, theoretically, a future administration could do something that I think would be very damaging, it's not likely politically that they reverse everything that we've done, but it could be ... that some people then end up being in a disadvantageous position.

4. James Entwistle:

   The video shows how there was very little that the bar’s security could do to control the situation and it was clearly a shocking thing for staff and other people in the bar to witness.

5. David Albright:

   I think how this is settled could very well determine if this deal is ever implemented, this deal can only work if it can be verified, and it can only be verified if the inspectors have access to the suspect nuclear sites.

Images & Illustrations of COULD

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