couldcould /kəd; strong kʊd/ ●●● S1 W1 modal verb (negative short form couldn’t) 
By the time she was eight, she could read Greek and Latin. In those days you could buy a box of cigars for a dollar. Could you hear what I was saying? I couldn’t get tickets after all, they were sold out. I knew I couldn’t afford the rent. The teacher said we could all go home.2possibility a)used to say that something is possible or might happen: Most accidents in the home could be prevented. It could be weeks before we get a reply. If you’re not careful, you could get into even worse trouble. A faulty connection could easily (=would be likely to) cause a fire. b)used to say that something was a possibility in the past, but did not actually happen: Somebody could have been killed. I could have warned you if I had known where you were. He could have escaped, but he chose to fight.3emphasizing your feelings spoken used to emphasize how happy, angry etc you are by saying how you want to express your feelings: He irritates me so much I could scream. I was so angry I could have killed her. I was so relieved I could have kissed them all.4requesting spoken used to make a polite request: Could you help me with these boxes? Could I have a drink of water, please? How about Sam? Could he come along too? I wonder if I could just ask you to sign this.5suggesting used to suggest doing something: You could ask your doctor for a check-up. You could always try phoning her at the office. Maybe we could get together sometime next week? Couldn’t you get one of your friends to help you?6annoyance spoken used to show that you are annoyed about someone’s behaviour: You could have told me you were going to be late (=you should have told me but you did not)! You could at least say that you’re sorry. How could you be so stupid!7couldn’t be better/worse/more pleased etc used to emphasize how good, bad etc something is: Their lifestyles couldn’t be more different. ‘How are things?’ ‘Fine! Couldn’t be better.’ Ordering online couldn’t be simpler.8I couldn’t British English spoken used to politely say that you do not want any more food or drink: ‘Would you like another piece of pie?’ ‘Oh, no thanks, I couldn’t.’9could do with something spoken to need or want something: I could do with a hot drink. → could do worse (than) at worse1(5), → couldn’t care less at care2(5), → couldn’t agree more at agree(1)GRAMMAR: Patterns with could• You use could with the base form of the verb (=the infinitive without ‘to’): · The teacher said we could go home.· He could be in his office.• You say Could I? when asking for permission: · Could I use your phone?• You say that something could have happened: · The team could have won.· They could already have gone home.• You use couldn’t or could not in negative sentences: · We couldn’t see anything.· That could not be true.Grammar guide ‒ VERBS
WORD ORIGINcould
Origin:
Old English cuthe, past tense of cunnan ( ➔ CAN1); influenced by should and wouldEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Could you drop off the kids on your way to work?
- Could you have her call me back when she gets home, please?
- Could you hear that all right?
- Dad said we could go swimming after lunch.
- Eleanor couldn't come last night.
- I'm sure Francis could find out for you.
- I don't think I could live with someone like that.
- Nobody could tell my hair was dirty.
- There's no way you could go by yourself, Kay.
- We could use plastic cups, so we don't have to wash anything.
- What about Sam? Could he come along, too?
- You guys could go to the Sirloin Saloon for a nice big steak.
Longman Language Activatorways of asking someone to do something or to let you have something
use this to ask someone politely to do something for you or to let you do something: · I'd like to ask you a couple of questions - do you mind?would/do you mind if: · Would you mind if I held the baby?· Do you mind if I just turn down the volume a little?would/do you mind doing something?: · Would you mind stopping at the Post Office on the way home?· Dinner won't be on the table for another half hour - do you mind waiting?
British /(would/could you) do me a favor? American use this to ask someone to do something for you or help you with something. Using do me a favour alone is more informal than saying would or could you do me a favour: · Would you do me a favour and call Tom to tell him I'm on my way home?· Do me a favor - in that box over there, there's a screwdriver - can you hand it to me?· Could you do me a favour and lock everything up at five?
also I would appreciate it if ... use this in formal language or business letters to ask someone to do something for you: · I would be grateful if you could send this information to me at the address below.· I would appreciate it if you could let me know when you will be making your decision.
use this to ask someone to do something for you. Could you and would you are more polite than can you: · Could you hold these while I get my keys?· Would you get me a towel, please?· Can you babysit for us Friday night?
use this to politely get someone's attention or to interrupt what they are doing when you want to ask them something. Pardon me is slightly old-fashioned and is more formal than excuse me: · Excuse me, could I borrow your pen for a minute?· Pardon me, do you know what time it is?
material for making clothes, curtains etc use this when you think that something may happen or may be true, but you are not sure. Perhaps is more formal than maybe .: · "Will you be there tomorrow?" "I don't know, maybe."· I wonder why she's late - maybe she missed the train.· The footprints belonged to a large cat, a tiger, perhaps.· I'm not sure why I couldn't sleep. Perhaps it was the coffee.maybe not/perhaps not: · "It's not her fault that she can't get a job." "Well, maybe not, but she should make a little more effort."· Housing prices will continue to rise, though perhaps not as much as was predicted last year.
use this with other verbs, to show that something is possible, or likely, but you are not sure about it. May and might are more formal than could: · Take your umbrella -- it might rain.· Hundreds of workers may lose their jobs if the strike continues.· We could be home before midnight if the traffic isn't too bad.may/might/could have done something: · "Bruce isn't here yet." "He may have decided not to come."· It's a good thing we got her to the hospital right away -- the doctor said she could have died if we'd waited.
use this when you think that something may happen or may be done, but that it is not very likely: · I might have to work on Saturday, so it's possible I won't be able to come to your party.· There's a chance that I'll be in California in October, so I might be able to visit you for a few days.it is just possible (that)/there is just a chance (that) (=when something is possible, but very unlikely): · Tomorrow should be sunny but there's just a chance of showers in the afternoon.· It's just possible we'll finish the job by tonight, but it'll probably be tomorrow.outside chance/possibility: · Martinez will need surgery, but there's an outside chance he'll be playing again before the end of the season.slim chance/possibility: · Sims has some numbness and weakness in her legs, and surgeons say there is a slim possibility of paralysis.
use this when you think that something may be true, but you do not have enough information to be sure: · "Do you think she was murdered, inspector?" "Possibly."· He's playing in the US Open Golf Championships - possibly for the last time.· Stone is possibly America's finest film director.· The cancer was possibly caused by exposure to asbestos.· Trade between the two countries began in the 11th century, possibly even earlier.· Many analysts believe interest rates will rise, possibly as early as next spring.quite possibly (=very possibly): · The examination hall was vast, with at least 700 or 800 students and quite possibly as many as 1000.
if you think something may conceivably happen or be true, it seems unlikely but you can imagine that it is possible: · Reservations are advised but you might conceivably find a hotel the day you arrive.· It is still unlikely, but unemployment could conceivably begin to fall by the end of the year.
spoken say this when you are not sure whether something will happen, because no one knows what will happen in the future: · I don't think I'll ever get married, but you never know.· Why don't you ask for a raise? You never know, they could say yes.
spoken say this when you have no way of knowing whether something is true or not true: · "Will you still be working here next year?" "Who knows? Maybe I will, maybe I won't."· Maybe he wasn't telling the truth. Who knows?
to need something if you need something, you must have it, because you cannot live, succeed, or do something without it: · It's cold outside -- you'll need a coat.· I think she might need a doctor.· Do you need some help?need something for something: · He needs the information for an article he's writing.need to do something (=when it is necessary for someone to do something): · We need to take the cat to the vet.need somebody to do something: · Do you still need volunteers to help clean up after the party?badly need something (=need something very much): · The team badly needs a victory.
to need to be cleaned, repaired, or given attention in some way: need cleaning/washing/mending etc: · My hair needs washing.· Don't forget, the plants need watering once a week.need a wash/clean etc: · You don't have to paint UPVC windows, and they need only an occasional wash down with detergent.
formal to need something: · Guests who require special diets should inform the catering manager in advance.· Is there anything further you require, sir?
spoken informal say that you could do with something or could use something when you feel that you need it and that it would improve things for you: · "Let's stop for a minute." "Sure, I could do with a rest."· I could use a hand with this if you have a minute.· Boy, I sure could use a drink.
if someone is in need of help, advice, money etc, they need it because they are in a difficult situation: · Several people were in need of medical treatment.badly in need of something: · The country is badly in need of foreign investment.
if there is a need for something, it is needed by a group of people because it is useful or necessary in order to make a situation better: · There's always a need for blood donors.· There's no need for you to know my full name. Reggie will do.there is an urgent need for something: · There is an urgent need for a review of current immigration law.there is a growing need for something: · There's a growing need for computer programmers and IT people in many parts of Latin America.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY A faulty connection could easily (=would be likely to) cause a fire. You could always try phoning her at the office. You could at least say that you’re sorry.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES It could be argued that a dam might actually increase the risk of flooding. She could barely understand English. The hotel has everything you could possibly desire. We could just discern a town in the distance. The plains stretched for as far as the eye could see (=all the distance you could see). Johnny ran off as fast as his legs could carry him (=running as quickly as he could). The children were so excited they could hardly speak. My boss could hardly be described as handsome. She tried to stay awake for as long as she could. ‘Is there any chance you could work late?’ ‘I think I could manage an hour.’ The bar was so crowded you could hardly move. ‘It’s going to be fine,’ replied David, with as much confidence as he could muster. They’re a lot better than some airlines I could name. He knew he could take his pick of any of the girls in the office. Sarah could have her pick of any university in the country. How could anyone possibly do such a thing? Doctors did everything they possibly could to save his life.
A faulty connection could easily (=would be likely to) cause a fire. You could always try phoning her at the office. You could at least say that you’re sorry.· It could almost be described as luminous.
It could be argued that a dam might actually increase the risk of flooding. She could barely understand English.· They could both be described as robots.
The hotel has everything you could possibly desire. We could just discern a town in the distance. The plains stretched for as far as the eye could see (=all the distance you could see). Johnny ran off as fast as his legs could carry him (=running as quickly as he could). The children were so excited they could hardly speak. My boss could hardly be described as handsome. (=I want to hear something funny to cheer me up)· Tell me what she said - I could use a laugh.
She tried to stay awake for as long as she could. ‘Is there any chance you could work late?’ ‘I think I could manage an hour.’ The bar was so crowded you could hardly move. ‘It’s going to be fine,’ replied David, with as much confidence as he could muster. They’re a lot better than some airlines I could name. (=at that moment and not before) Only then did she tell him about the attack.
Only then did she tell him about the attack. He knew he could take his pick of any of the girls in the office. Sarah could have her pick of any university in the country. How could anyone possibly do such a thing? Doctors did everything they possibly could to save his life.· Cheer up – things could be worse.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► I couldn’t► couldn’t be better/worse/more pleased etcPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► can/could always do something► before you could blink► you could cut the atmosphere with a knife► I nearly died/I could have died► I could eat a horse► somebody can/could do something for England► nothing could be/is further from somebody’s mind/thoughts► your heart’s desire/everything your heart could desire► how can/could somebody do something?► you could cut the atmosphere/air/tension with a knife► if looks could kill► it was as much as somebody could do to do something► I could murder a beer/pizza etc► you could hear a pin drop► somebody/something could stand something► nothing could be further from the truth► could use something► wild horses would/could not ...► could/may/might yet do something
1past ability used as the past tense of ‘can’ to say what someone was able to do or was allowed to do in the past: - And Katherine could do with all the comfort she could get for the illness was slowly and inexorably taking its toll.
- But the Olympic gold medal was so far away from what I thought I could do with my life.
- He could do with a warm bed.
- I could do with a change of scenery.
- Just imagine what we could do with this idea.
- That was nice, she could do with settling.
- The governor said he could do with something to eat.
- We could do with another girl in the chorus.
- He can afford to argue with the local hierarchy when the interests of his order require it.
- If you can afford to do so, buying your home outright usually makes sense.
- Jeremy Taylor is some one who can afford to put his principles into practice.
- More men would take leave if they could afford to, but taking leave usually means sacrificing income.
- Pip will simply be a gentleman because he can afford it.
- The Otis family house in Atchison had finally been sold that February, so Amy could afford to splurge a little.
- Two courses were probably all she could afford.
- You must be careful not to borrow more money that you can afford to repay.
- I followed one up the motorway just yesterday and it was all I could do to not retch.
- When pro golfer Tiger Woods won the Masters two weeks ago, it was all I could do to suppress a yawn.
- But I just couldn't bring myself to do it.
- He had died somewhere on the way to his next case, and Quinn could not bring himself to feel sorry.
- I debated with myself but in the end, I could not bring myself to pack up and leave.
- Rain could not bring herself to put this to the test.
- She could not bring herself to fall down the house stairs.
- The New-York Historical Society couldn't bring itself to do that.
- The teakettle made a brisk whistling sound, but John Wade could not bring himself to move.
- This little subterfuge the guard put into motion somehow he could not bring himself to do it.
- She ran to her mother as fast as her legs could carry her.
- And Katherine could do with all the comfort she could get for the illness was slowly and inexorably taking its toll.
- But the Olympic gold medal was so far away from what I thought I could do with my life.
- He could do with a warm bed.
- I could do with a change of scenery.
- Just imagine what we could do with this idea.
- That was nice, she could do with settling.
- The governor said he could do with something to eat.
- We could do with another girl in the chorus.
- A high-resolution image, by contrast, could easily run as large as 15 million to 20 million bytes.
- A single mutational step can easily be reversed.
- But a small error in the procedure could easily leave her inoperable, or at least changed beyond recognition.
- Governments can easily guarantee their employees a job, without guaranteeing the job they currently hold.
- If you are writing on a complex topic a reader can easily become confused.
- This was his hobby, sketching vertical monstrosities, though he might easily have been a spy.
- Yet the world champion is so unpredictably gifted that one on-song display could easily enable her to sweep aside the opposition.
- Young minds can easily assimilate and embrace all kinds of musical styles.
- It could go either way, as we have seen in previous months of March.
- M., still could go either way.
- The latest opinion poll suggests the vote could go either way.
- "Look, we're doing our best to fix it." "Well, you could have fooled me."
- A lot of people think soufflés are hard to make. Nothing could be further from the truth.
- They say he is a spy, but nothing could be further from the truth.
- I could really go for a taco right now.
- But at first I would go for a holiday.
- You always told me that if I worked hard, one day, I would go for Secondary.
- I would be grateful if you could tell me anything about the guitar.
- I would be grateful if you could tell me where I can get hold of such posters.
- I would be grateful if you would examine Exhibit A. Do you recognise it?
- If you will be attending the site visit, I would be grateful if you could complete the tear-off slip below.
- This will take place at the above address on and I would be grateful if you could attend at.
- Are you saying that you're refusing to do that? ... Could I have your number?
- How can I have a death certificate?
- How could I have been anything but evil to her?
- How could I have been such a fool as to take him seriously?
- How else could I have known about it unless I was your son?
- It seemed a dream come true-what more could I have asked for?
- My question is, how can I have problems like other fishkeepers?
- What could I have paid for it?
- After he finished telling the story you could have heard a pin drop.
- It was so quiet in the hall you could hear a pin drop.
- You could hear a pin drop in the auditorium during Norvell's speech.
- But Katrinka is sustained by her search for her long-lost son, and a wardrobe a Vegas showgirl could kill for.
- I could kill for him, easily and without thought.
- Most retailers would kill for that kind of performance.
- Some of the lasses would kill for tab-ends and that.
- But what else could she possibly hope to see? she wondered miserably.
- But what on earth can he possibly have been trying to prove?
- How can they possibly control such success?
- How could she possibly know, since he had not set eyes on the girl?
- What can I possibly say now?
- What conversation could we possibly have had there, then?
- What could she possibly tell him, that he would want to hear?
- All of which is very curious we could have sworn Colin Milburn went to good old Greencroft comprehensive.
- Athelstan could have sworn he was acting as if there was some one else there.
- Corbett could have sworn that momentarily he glimpsed another figure, shadow-like, but fled on.
- He could have sworn the pile of letters had been deeper, that there had been many more.
- No, he recalled other sightings, so real you could have sworn they were alive ... until they vanished.
- She could have sworn the light had been yellow - pure yellow.
- The friar could have sworn that Sir John was singing a hymn or a song under his breath.
- The Myrcans looked on with what he could have sworn was approval.
- Without knowing what he'd got. I could have wept thinking what I'd missed.
- As we have already noted, he may well have been a militant nationalist who did not shrink from violence.
- But the women whom they find may well not match their feminist consciousness.
- By and large Alex and I think these developments are likely to give tangible gains and could well become a priority for implementation.
- In addition, the clarification of such issues could well provide the initial stimulus for a whole school language policy.
- It is too early to be entirely sure, but it looks as though the tide may well have turned.
- The requirements may well be modified as detailed work and discussion proceed.
- And if you have to plough the field anyway, you might as well plant it at the same time.
- And we might as well get used to it and resolve to cope.
- Besides, they cost so much, you might as well get some fun out of them.
- I thought I might just as well come down to the point.
- If the traveler expects the high way to be safe and well-graded, he might as well stay at home.
- It might as well be now.
- She might as well see how the enemy behaved themselves in a place like this.
- While she was there, they might as well have added the charge of breaching the Trades Description Act.
- A woman could do worse than be a nurse.
- He could do worse than spend his evening keeping an eye on her.
- In groping for useful precedents, one could do worse than heed the tale of a man named Sherwood Rowland.
- The West could do worse than to base its policy towards the Middle East on that aspiration.
- You could do worse than take a leaf out of the health economists' book.
By the time she was eight, she could read Greek and Latin. In those days you could buy a box of cigars for a dollar. Could you hear what I was saying? I couldn’t get tickets after all, they were sold out. I knew I couldn’t afford the rent. The teacher said we could all go home.2possibility a)used to say that something is possible or might happen: Most accidents in the home could be prevented. It could be weeks before we get a reply. If you’re not careful, you could get into even worse trouble. A faulty connection could easily (=would be likely to) cause a fire. b)used to say that something was a possibility in the past, but did not actually happen: Somebody could have been killed. I could have warned you if I had known where you were. He could have escaped, but he chose to fight.3emphasizing your feelings spoken used to emphasize how happy, angry etc you are by saying how you want to express your feelings: He irritates me so much I could scream. I was so angry I could have killed her. I was so relieved I could have kissed them all.4requesting spoken used to make a polite request: Could you help me with these boxes? Could I have a drink of water, please? How about Sam? Could he come along too? I wonder if I could just ask you to sign this.5suggesting used to suggest doing something: You could ask your doctor for a check-up. You could always try phoning her at the office. Maybe we could get together sometime next week? Couldn’t you get one of your friends to help you?6annoyance spoken used to show that you are annoyed about someone’s behaviour: You could have told me you were going to be late (=you should have told me but you did not)! You could at least say that you’re sorry. How could you be so stupid!7couldn’t be better/worse/more pleased etc used to emphasize how good, bad etc something is: Their lifestyles couldn’t be more different. ‘How are things?’ ‘Fine! Couldn’t be better.’ Ordering online couldn’t be simpler.8I couldn’t British English spoken used to politely say that you do not want any more food or drink: ‘Would you like another piece of pie?’ ‘Oh, no thanks, I couldn’t.’9could do with something spoken to need or want something: I could do with a hot drink. → could do worse (than) at worse1(5), → couldn’t care less at care2(5), → couldn’t agree more at agree(1)GRAMMAR: Patterns with could• You use could with the base form of the verb (=the infinitive without ‘to’): · The teacher said we could go home.· He could be in his office.• You say Could I? when asking for permission: · Could I use your phone?• You say that something could have happened: · The team could have won.· They could already have gone home.• You use couldn’t or could not in negative sentences: · We couldn’t see anything.· That could not be true.Grammar guide ‒ VERBS