Could: meaning, definitions and examples
🤔
could
[ kʊd ]
general
past of can
Synonyms
Examples of usage
- I could swim when I was younger.
- He could speak three languages fluently.
possibility
used to express possibility
Synonyms
Examples of usage
- It could rain later.
- She could be at home by now.
slang
a prison sentence
Synonyms
jail time, prison term
Examples of usage
- He got a five-year stretch in the can for his crime.
Translations
Translations of the word "could" in other languages:
🇵🇹 poderia
- poderia (possibilidade)
- poderia (capacidade)
🇮🇳 सकता था (sakta tha)
- सकता है (sakta hai)
- कर सकता है (kar sakta hai)
🇩🇪 könnte
- könnte (Möglichkeit)
- könnte (Fähigkeit)
🇮🇩 bisa
- bisa (kemungkinan)
- bisa (kemampuan)
🇺🇦 міг
- міг (можливість)
- міг (здатність)
🇵🇱 mógł
- mógł (możliwość)
- mógł (zdolność)
🇯🇵 できた (dekita)
- できる (dekiru)
- 可能でした (kanou deshita)
🇫🇷 pourrait
- pourrait (possibilité)
- pourrait (capacité)
🇪🇸 podría
- podría (posibilidad)
- podría (capacidad)
🇹🇷 olabilir
- olabilirdi (olasılık)
- yapabilirdi (yetenek)
🇰🇷 할 수 있었다 (hal su iss-eossda)
- 할 수 있다 (hal su itda)
- 가능했다 (ganunghaetda)
🇸🇦 قد
- قد (إمكانية)
- قد (قدرة)
🇨🇿 mohl
- mohl (možnost)
- mohl (schopnost)
🇸🇰 mohol
- mohol (možnosť)
- mohol (schopnosť)
🇨🇳 可以 (kěyǐ)
- 能够 (nénggòu)
- 会 (huì)
🇸🇮 bi lahko
- bi lahko (možnost)
- bi lahko (sposobnost)
🇮🇸 gæti
- gæti (möguleiki)
- gæti (hæfileiki)
🇰🇿 мүмкін
- мүмкін (мүмкіндік)
- қабілетті болу (қабілет)
🇬🇪 შეძლო (shezlo)
- შეეძლო (sheeqlo)
- შესაძლებლობა (shesadzleblobis)
🇦🇿 bilərdi
- bilmək (imkan)
- edə bilərdi (qabiliyyət)
🇲🇽 podría
- podría (posibilidad)
- podría (capacidad)
Word origin
The word 'could' originates from the Old English word 'cun' which meant 'know how to'. Over time, it evolved to 'couth' meaning 'known', and eventually to 'could' as we know it today. The modal use of 'could' to express possibility developed in Middle English. The slang term for a prison sentence likely comes from the idea of being 'contained' or 'imprisoned'.
See also: can, canal, cane, canine, caning, canister, canning, cannot, canopy, canteen.