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. Le Pen:

   I support the referendum in the United Kingdom because I want all the countries in the EU to have this choice, but even if we don't get Brexit, it will present a huge new problem for the European Union which has pledged to give Britain special rights if it stays that other countries won't have. So this could be the beginning of Europe a la carte.

2. Tym Rourke:

   Uncertainty is sort of the mood of the movement here in New Hampshire, we are working to build our state's capacity, to build the workforce, but it is hard to do that in a moment where the services we have built could potentially be at risk.

3. President Donald Trump:

   It's going to disappear. One day it's like a miracle, it will disappear, and from Senator Burr shores, you know, it could get worse before it gets better. It could maybe go away. Senator Burr'll see what happens. Nobody really knows.

4. Rob Manfred:

   We left that meeting with a jointly developed framework that we agreed could form the basis of an agreement and subject to conversations with our respective constituents, i summarized that framework numerous times in the meeting and sent Tony a written summary today. Consistent with our conversations yesterday, I am encouraging the clubs to move forward and I trust Tony is doing the same.

5. Tom Bossert:

   I’ve known Administrator Long now for 15 years.We could n’t have picked a finer leader.He’s had state director experience.He’s had FEMA experience. Administrator Long’s absolutely the top of the top.

Images & Illustrations of Could

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