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. Singer Janelle Monae:

   We celebrate you for giving us memories that we wish we could bottle up and save for the next lifetime, history is not complete without you, Janet.

2. Brian Alexander:

   If they recover additional pieces and additional evidence, there could be a different dynamic from the legal perspective concerning airline manufacturers.

3. Jalal ud-Din Rumi:

   I tried to find Him on the Christian cross, but He was not there I went to the Temple of the Hindus and to the old pagodas, but I could not find a trace of Him anywhere. I searched on the mountains and in the valleys but neither in the heights nor in the depths was I able to find Him. I went to the Caaba in Mecca, but He was not there either. I questioned the scholars and philosophers but He was beyond their understanding. I then looked into my heart and it was there where He dwelled that I saw Him He was nowhere else to be found.

4. Xabi Fernandez:

   It was a good race for us today, right from the start, but the key for us was being able to pass AkzoNobel on the first downwind, from there we could stretch.

5. Al Bukhaiti:

   We blame Hadi for not implementing this deal that drew the road map that would have solved Yemen's ongoing crises, hadi will be held responsible for the country's failures and that chaos that could follow.

Images & Illustrations of Could

Popularity rank by frequency of use