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
couldverb
simple past tense of can
Before I was blind, I could see very well.
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.
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
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
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
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
Could
of Can
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
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
Spoken Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'could' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #62
Written Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'could' in Written Corpus Frequency: #88
Verbs Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'could' in Verbs Frequency: #14
Anagrams for could »
cloud
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of could in Chaldean Numerology is: 5
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of could in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1
Examples of could in a Sentence
Send me a whisper, but one so dim that only my soul could hear.
OPEC members will be keeping a close eye on China, with the low factory activity data that has been released possibly signaling a diminishing demand for oil – something that could do real damage to oil prices.
But if I put on my paranoia hat, this could have been catastrophic, if you are a big intelligence agency somewhere in the world and you want to harvest as much information as possible, you of course go for the convergence points, it's a given fact.
I was aware that Adam Corey and( an agent known as) Mike Miller arranged so that we could go and see the show. I arrived at the theater and received my ticket from my brother, the problem that I have is that I should have asked more questions to make sure that everything that had transpired was above board.
The combination of ultra-thin glass, less than the thickness of human hair, and very high strength allows glass to be bent, twisted, etc. without fracture, it will not fold flat like a dollar bill, but you could fold it around a metal rod and you could do it over and over and it will still go back to flat [ without ] creases.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
Translations for could
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- استطاعArabic
- mohlCzech
- kunneDanish
- kGerman
- θα μπορούσεGreek
- podríaSpanish
- می تواندPersian
- voisiFinnish
- pourraitFrench
- सकता हैHindi
- tudottHungarian
- bisaIndonesian
- potevaItalian
- הָיָה יָכוֹלHebrew
- 可能性Japanese
- 할 수 있었다Korean
- potuit,Latin
- konDutch
- kunneNorwegian
- mógłbyPolish
- poderiaPortuguese
- ar puteaRomanian
- могRussian
- KundeSwedish
- முடிந்தTamil
- చేయగలిగిTelugu
- ได้Thai
- olabilirTurkish
- моUkrainian
- کر سکتے تھےUrdu
- có thểVietnamese
- קעןYiddish
- 可以Chinese
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"could." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/could>.
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