COULD Definition & Meaning

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could

[ kood; unstressed kuhd ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

a simple past tense of can ¹.
(used to express possibility):
I wonder who that could be at the door. That couldn't be true.
(used to express conditional possibility or ability):
You could do it if you tried.
(used in making polite requests):
Could you open the door for me, please?
(used in asking for permission):
Could I borrow your pen?
(used in offering suggestions or advice):
You could write and ask for more information. You could at least have called me.

could

/ ��ʊ�� /

used as an auxiliary to make the past tense of can 1
used as an auxiliary, esp in polite requests or in conditional sentences, to make the subjunctive mood of can 1
she'd telephone if she could
could I see you tonight?
used as an auxiliary to indicate suggestion of a course of action
you could take the car tomorrow if it's raining
often foll by well used as an auxiliary to indicate a possibility
he could well be a spy

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See care.

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Origin of could¹

First recorded in 1450–1500; alteration of late Middle English coude, coud, Old English ��ū�ٳ��; modern -l- from would ¹, should

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Origin of could¹

Old English ��ū�ٳ��; influenced by would , should; see can ¹

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Examples have not been reviewed.

The cuts could mean fewer workers will be available to collect entrance fees, clean toilets or help with search and rescue operations.

From

"If you look at the goals we conceded, I think all three, we could have prevented them," Slot told BBC Match of the Day.

From

And even once they achieve financial success, they seem to have an underlying fear that stability could disappear at any moment.

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"Those are the ones that were giving me recordings that I could follow and kind of try to hone as best as I could," he said.

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The zoo's animal care team is monitoring others that could still hatch in the coming weeks.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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