What does could mean?

Definitions for could
kʊd; unstressed kədcould

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word could.


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Wiktionary

  1. couldverb

    simple past tense of can

    Before I was blind, I could see very well.

  2. couldverb

    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.

  3. 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]

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Couldthe imperfect preterite of can.

    Was able to; had power to.

    And if I have done well, and as is fitting the story, it is that which I desired; but if slenderly and meanly, it is that which I could attain unto. 2 Mac. xv. 38.

    What if he did not all the ill he could?
    Am I oblig’d by that t’ assist his rapines,
    And to maintain his murders? John Dryden, Spanish Fryar.

Wikipedia

  1. could

    The English modal verbs are a subset of the English auxiliary verbs used mostly to express modality (properties such as possibility, obligation, etc.). They can be distinguished from other verbs by their defectiveness (they do not have participle or infinitive forms) and by their neutralization (that they do not take the ending -(e)s in the third-person singular). The principal English modal verbs are can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, and must. Certain other verbs are sometimes, but not always, classed as modals; these include ought, had better, and (in certain uses) dare and need. Verbs which share only some of the characteristics of the principal modals are sometimes called "quasi-modals", "semi-modals", or "pseudo-modals".

ChatGPT

  1. could

    Could is a modal verb that is used to indicate possibility or ability in conditional or hypothetical situations. It suggests that something is likely or feasible but not certain, or that someone has the potential or capability to do something.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Could

    of Can

  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

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

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  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

How to pronounce could?

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. David Bumbaca:

    I admire the people who make those choices. I just don't know if I could do it. I want to be with my family and live a safe life. I don't want to be anyone's hero.

  2. Elisa Sepulveda:

    I don’t have the money or anything to donate, so I guess my first reaction when I saw that we could donate blood was, ‘Okay I have to go because that’s the only way I can help,’ if I can’t give them money, I’ll go give them something I can.

  3. Eleni Linos:

    As technology becomes more sophisticated and people start to use their phones interactively for an increasing number of daily tasks, it would not be surprising if they also increasingly turned to electronic devices for help with personal, health and safety issues, the phone user needs to retain the power to choose what happens. Every domestic violence and sexual assault situation is different, and the phone won't know if the abuser suddenly re-enters the room, grabs the phone, or starts listening in. It's tempting to say that the phone should automatically dial 9-1-1, but that could lead to an increase in the number of accidental calls, limit emergency services' capacity to respond to actual urgent calls, and worst of all might tip off the perpetrator that his or her victim is trying to get help.

  4. Laurence Wynants:

    We felt that I could also do something. We all think of hospital workers, those who are sick, but there are also those who sleep in the streets.

  5. Arleen Scholten:

    Ive never experienced anything like this, i felt I could help him, I wanted to help him.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

could#1#208#10000

Translations for could

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

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"could." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/could>.

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