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.
Did you actually mean child or coiled?
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
I looked forward to it every day. Like I said before, I cried when they took me off her floor, and I tried to go back down to her floor to see her, but they wouldn’t let me, i wish that I would have known more. I wish I could have done more.
This does show how just one drug could have a major impact on spending and premiums, without a change in current law, there's little the administration can do on its own to protect seniors.
The biggest limitation of our data, by far, is the fact that we did not have access to labor and delivery records of our study participants and therefore we do not know what the exact indication for cesarean was, nor the timing of cesarean delivery in relation to onset of labor which could have clarified some important questions.
If not conducted satisfactorily, it could very well be a reason for the U.S. Congress to reject TPP. So it is a prerequisite for a TPP agreement to include high standard protection for new drugs.
I don't know what happened to him, you can see how loyal he is. He was begging for my endorsement. I could have said Mitt 'drop to your knees.' He would have dropped to his knees.
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. 29 Oct. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/COULD>.
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