modalnoun [ C ]
uk/ˈməʊ.dəl/us/ˈmoʊ.dəl/also modal verb specializedB1 a verb, such as "can", "might", and "must", that is used with another verb to express an idea such as possibility that is not expressed by the main verb of a sentence:
The first verb in the following sentence is a modal: We ought to pay the gas bill.
More examples
- We did some exercises on modal verbs.
- Modal verbs can be quite tricky.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Linguistics: verb forms, tenses & types of verbs
- accusative
- arose
- art
- aspect
- began
- bent
- conjugate
- ditransitive
- historic present
- linking verb
- main verb
- passivize
- past participle
- perfect participle
- predicate
- progressive
- the future perfect
- the pluperfect
- the third person
- wast
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