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View synonyms for

could

[ kood; unstressed kuhd ]

auxiliary verb

  1. a simple past tense of can 1.
  2. (used to express possibility):

    I wonder who that could be at the door. That couldn't be true.

  3. (used to express conditional possibility or ability):

    You could do it if you tried.

  4. (used in making polite requests):

    Could you open the door for me, please?

  5. (used in asking for permission):

    Could I borrow your pen?

  6. (used in offering suggestions or advice):

    You could write and ask for more information. You could at least have called me.



could

/ ʊ /

verb

  1. used as an auxiliary to make the past tense of can 1
  2. 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?

  3. used as an auxiliary to indicate suggestion of a course of action

    you could take the car tomorrow if it's raining

  4. often foll by well used as an auxiliary to indicate a possibility

    he could well be a spy

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Usage Note

See care.
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Word History and Origins

Origin of could1

First recorded in 1450–1500; alteration of late Middle English coude, coud, Old English ūٳ; modern -l- from would 1, should
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Word History and Origins

Origin of could1

Old English ūٳ; influenced by would , should; see can 1
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Idioms and Phrases

see can (could) do with ; see with half an eye, could . Also see under can ; couldn't .
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Enter Giacomo Castelveto: an Italian Protestant who found himself exiled in England, where he could only watch with growing horror as his new countrymen boiled and mangled their salads into an absolute mess.

From

When they took the mushrooms, they could communicate about what was going on in their internal worlds openly, without either of them feeling attacked, she said.

From

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, who led the government in its takeover of the plant, said the steel workers and their families could "breathe a sigh of relief".

From

Hamas has suggested it could consider disarming as part of such a tradeoff, but only if Israel were to pull all its forces out of Gaza.

From

Many in Iran are blaming the authorities for incompetence and worse, asking: How could so much inflammable material apparently be left on the port without due care?

From

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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