ought

[ awt ]

/ ɔt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR ought ON THESAURUS.COM

auxiliary verb

(used to express duty or moral obligation): Every citizen ought to help.

(used to express justice, moral rightness, or the like): He ought to be punished. You ought to be ashamed.

(used to express propriety, appropriateness, etc.): You ought to be home early. We ought to bring her some flowers.

(used to express probability or natural consequence): That ought to be our train now.

noun

duty or obligation.

Origin of ought

First recorded before 900; Middle English ought, aught, Old English āhte, past tense of āgan “to owe”

synonym study for ought

1. See must¹.

usage note for ought

Ought1 forms its negative in a number of ways. Ought not occurs in all types of speech and writing and is fully standard: The conferees ought not to waste time on protocol. Oughtn't, largely a spoken form, is found mainly in the Midland and Southern dialects of the United States, where it is almost the universal form. Hadn't ought is a common spoken form in the Northern dialect area. It is sometimes condemned in usage guides and is uncommon in educated speech except of the most informal variety. Didn't ought and shouldn't ought are considered nonstandard.
Both positive and negative forms of ought are almost always followed by the infinitive form: We ought to go now. You ought not to worry about it. Occasionally, to is omitted after the negative construction: Congress ought not adjourn without considering this bill.

Words nearby ought

Oudh, Oudry, Oudtshoorn, Ouémé, Ouessant, ought, oughtlins, oughtn't, ouguiya, oui, Ouida

Definition for ought (2 of 2)

ought²

[ awt ]

/ ɔt /

noun

aught².

Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for ought

When companies do bad things they ought to be held accountable for them.
Why Do ‘Progressives’ Want to Ban Uber and AirBnB?|Adam Thierer, Christopher Koopman|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We ought to seek Chinese cooperation in a response to this North Korean act of aggression.
Obama Could Hit China to Punish North Korea|Shane Harris, Tim Mak|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then when we arrive at his flat in Shepherd's Bush following the escape, perhaps there ought to be remnants of the ladder.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The officers explained that those Sikhs had been lynched to death and that Singh ought to anticipate the same fate for himself.
As 30-Year Anniversary of Mass Killings in India Arrives, Sikhs Find Safety in USA|Simran Jeet Singh|October 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST

“Novelist good for nothing else,” said Samuel Beckett, and that ought to be taken as a compliment.
Nobel Prize Winner Modiano’s Magical Musical Prose About Paris|Pierre Assouline|October 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We ought to take quite a place in the county, and challenge other schools for matches.
For the School Colours|Angela Brazil
If there is only one woman in the nation who claims the right to vote, she ought to have it.
An English Grammar|W. M. Baskervill and J. W. Sewell
I know how busy you are, and I ought not to have asked you to come.
Theft|Jack London
You'd think he ought to keep quiet about your doin's, wouldn't ye, now?
Fair Harbor|Joseph Crosby Lincoln
They ought, therefore, to be brought into the account on this occasion.
History of the Origin, Formation, and Adoption of the Constitution of the United States, Vol. 1|George Ticknor Curtis

British Dictionary definitions for ought (1 of 3)

ought¹

/ (ɔːt) /

verb (foll by to; takes an infinitive or implied infinitive)

to indicate duty or obligationyou ought to pay your dues

to express prudent expediencyyou ought to be more careful with your money

(usually with reference to future time) to express probability or expectationyou ought to finish this work by Friday

to express a desire or wish on the part of the speakeryou ought to come next week

Word Origin for ought

Old English āhte, past tense of āgan to owe; related to Gothic aihta

usage for ought

In correct English, ought is not used with did or had. I ought not to do it, not I didn't ought to do it; I ought not to have done it, not I hadn't ought to have done it

British Dictionary definitions for ought (2 of 3)

ought²

/ (ɔːt) /

pronoun, adverb

a variant spelling of aught 1

British Dictionary definitions for ought (3 of 3)

ought³

/ (ɔːt) /

noun

a less common word for nought (def. 1)

Word Origin for ought

C19: mistaken division of a nought as an ought; see nought

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

单词	ought
释义	ought ¹ [ awt ] / ɔt / SEE SYNONYMS FOR ought ON THESAURUS.COM auxiliary verb (used to express duty or moral obligation): Every citizen ought to help. (used to express justice, moral rightness, or the like): He ought to be punished. You ought to be ashamed. (used to express propriety, appropriateness, etc.): You ought to be home early. We ought to bring her some flowers. (used to express probability or natural consequence): That ought to be our train now. noun duty or obligation. Origin of ought ¹ First recorded before 900; Middle English ought, aught, Old English āhte, past tense of āgan “to owe” synonym study for ought 1. See must¹. usage note for ought Ought1 forms its negative in a number of ways. Ought not occurs in all types of speech and writing and is fully standard: The conferees ought not to waste time on protocol. Oughtn't, largely a spoken form, is found mainly in the Midland and Southern dialects of the United States, where it is almost the universal form. Hadn't ought is a common spoken form in the Northern dialect area. It is sometimes condemned in usage guides and is uncommon in educated speech except of the most informal variety. Didn't ought and shouldn't ought are considered nonstandard. Both positive and negative forms of ought are almost always followed by the infinitive form: We ought to go now. You ought not to worry about it. Occasionally, to is omitted after the negative construction: Congress ought not adjourn without considering this bill. Words nearby ought Oudh, Oudry, Oudtshoorn, Ouémé, Ouessant, ought, oughtlins, oughtn't, ouguiya, oui, Ouida Definition for ought (2 of 2) ought² [ awt ] / ɔt / noun aught². Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020 Example sentences from the Web for ought When companies do bad things they ought to be held accountable for them. Why Do ‘Progressives’ Want to Ban Uber and AirBnB?\|Adam Thierer, Christopher Koopman\|December 30, 2014\|DAILY BEAST We ought to seek Chinese cooperation in a response to this North Korean act of aggression. Obama Could Hit China to Punish North Korea\|Shane Harris, Tim Mak\|December 20, 2014\|DAILY BEAST Then when we arrive at his flat in Shepherd's Bush following the escape, perhaps there ought to be remnants of the ladder. Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days\|David Freeman\|December 13, 2014\|DAILY BEAST The officers explained that those Sikhs had been lynched to death and that Singh ought to anticipate the same fate for himself. As 30-Year Anniversary of Mass Killings in India Arrives, Sikhs Find Safety in USA\|Simran Jeet Singh\|October 31, 2014\|DAILY BEAST “Novelist good for nothing else,” said Samuel Beckett, and that ought to be taken as a compliment. Nobel Prize Winner Modiano’s Magical Musical Prose About Paris\|Pierre Assouline\|October 14, 2014\|DAILY BEAST We ought to take quite a place in the county, and challenge other schools for matches. For the School Colours\|Angela Brazil If there is only one woman in the nation who claims the right to vote, she ought to have it. An English Grammar\|W. M. Baskervill and J. W. Sewell I know how busy you are, and I ought not to have asked you to come. Theft\|Jack London You'd think he ought to keep quiet about your doin's, wouldn't ye, now? Fair Harbor\|Joseph Crosby Lincoln They ought, therefore, to be brought into the account on this occasion. History of the Origin, Formation, and Adoption of the Constitution of the United States, Vol. 1\|George Ticknor Curtis British Dictionary definitions for ought (1 of 3) ought¹ / (ɔːt) / verb (foll by to; takes an infinitive or implied infinitive) to indicate duty or obligationyou ought to pay your dues to express prudent expediencyyou ought to be more careful with your money (usually with reference to future time) to express probability or expectationyou ought to finish this work by Friday to express a desire or wish on the part of the speakeryou ought to come next week Word Origin for ought Old English āhte, past tense of āgan to owe; related to Gothic aihta usage for ought In correct English, ought is not used with did or had. I ought not to do it, not I didn't ought to do it; I ought not to have done it, not I hadn't ought to have done it British Dictionary definitions for ought (2 of 3) ought² / (ɔːt) / pronoun, adverb a variant spelling of aught 1 British Dictionary definitions for ought (3 of 3) ought³ / (ɔːt) / noun a less common word for nought (def. 1) Word Origin for ought C19: mistaken division of a nought as an ought; see nought 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 Words related to ought precondition, requisite, prerequisite, use, right, wish, commitment, demand, obligation, urgency, duty, accountability, requirement, necessity, constraint, understanding, contract, agreement, liability, trust
随便看	goings-on going to going train go in one ear and out the other go into go into a huddle go into a tailspin go into effect go it alone goiter goitre goitrogen goitrogenic goitrous goiás goiânia goji go-juice go-kart golan heights golconda gold golda goldarn goldarned

ought

auxiliary verb

noun

Origin of ought

synonym study for ought

usage note for ought

Words nearby ought

Definition for ought (2 of 2)

noun

Example sentences from the Web for ought

British Dictionary definitions for ought (1 of 3)

verb (foll by to; takes an infinitive or implied infinitive)

Word Origin for ought

usage for ought

British Dictionary definitions for ought (2 of 3)

pronoun, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for ought (3 of 3)

noun

Word Origin for ought

Words related to ought