would

Something that would happen, or would be the case, under different circumstances; a potentiality.

Interjection

  1. Ellipsis of I would, used to denote that the speaker finds another person sexually attractive.

Origin

From Old English wolde, past tense of willan, predecessor of will. The loss of /l/ in this word is probably due to weak stress, as in should and could (though in the latter, the /l/ was due to the analogy of the former two).

Forms

wou'd

Related

could should

Noun

  1. Something that would happen, or would be the case, under different circumstances; a potentiality.
    • When the golf ball is there, the whole self-interference package — the hopes, worries, and fears; the thoughts on how-to and how-not-to; the woulds, the coulds, and the shoulds — is there too. - 1996, Fred Shoemaker,...
    • Shushona you must learn to rightfully prioritize all the woulds, shoulds and coulds of your life. - 2010, Shushona Novos, The Personal Universal: A Guidebook for Spiritual Evolution, page 395:

Forms

woulds wou'd

Verb

  1. Past tense of will; usually followed by a bare infinitive.
    • On my first day at University, I met the woman who would become my wife.
    • Hi! I thought I'd come over and introduce myself. My name’s Chema.
    • I'm really flattered you would call your daughter after me.

    1. Used to form the "anterior future", or "future in the past", indicating a futurity relative to a past time.

    2. Used to, did repeatedly, habitually; indicates an action that happened several times in the past (cannot describe continuous states, as in I used to live in London)

      • When we were younger, we would cycle out to the beach most summer Sundays.
      • No matter how early I came down, I would find him on the veranda, smoking cigarettes, or otherwise his man would be there with a message to say that his master would shortly join me if I would kindly wait. - 1897...
      • When we were kids we would sit by the radio with a tape recorder on a Sunday, listening out for the chart songs we wanted to have. - 2009 March 15, “Soundtrack of my life”, in The Guardian:

    3. Was or were determined to; indicating someone's insistence upon doing something.

      • I asked her to stay in with me, but she would go out.
      • Then he took to breeding silk-worms, which he would bring in two or three times a day, in little paper boxes, to show the old lady[…]. - 1836, “Boz” [pseudonym; Charles Dickens], chapter V, in Sketches by “Boz,”...

    4. (archaic) Wanted to.

      • And thenne at laste a-nother sayd that he wolde have eyren. Then the good wyf sayd that she understod hym wel. - 1490, William Caxton, Prologue to Eneydos:
      • The Greeks, especially those who would be thought adepts in mystic theology, ran after fantastic allegories […]. - 1852, James Murdock, trans. Johann Lorenz Mosheim, Institutes of Ecclesiastical History, II.7.iii

    5. (archaic) Used with ellipsis of the infinitive verb, or postponement to a relative clause, in various senses.

      • At which time he told me, he would to London that week, and so to Oxford. - 1694, John Strype, Memorials of The Most Reverend Father in God, Thomas Cranmer, Appendix page 68:
      • He sat as one astonish'd, a good-while, looking at me, without speaking a Word, till I came quite up to him, kneel'd on one Knee to him, and almost whether he would or no, kiss'd his Hand[…]. - 1724, Daniel Defoe,...
      • 'I thank thee, oh Ayesha,' I replied, with as much dignity as I could command, 'but if there be such a place as thou dost describe, and if in this strange place there may be found a fiery virtue that can hold off Death...

    6. (obsolete) Wished, desired (something).

  2. A modal verb, the subjunctive of will; usually followed by a bare infinitive.
    • If I won the lottery, I would give half the money to charity.
    • I'd never do anything that went against my conscience.
    • If I could fly, I would away to those realms of light and warmth – far, far away in the southern clime[…]. - 1846, “A New Sentimental Journey”, in Blackwoods Magazine, volume LX, number 372:

    1. Used as the auxiliary of the simple conditional modality, indicating a state or action that is conditional on another.

    2. Without explicit condition, or with loose or vague implied condition, indicating a hypothetical or imagined state or action.

      • I would love to come and visit.
      • Look at that yummy cake! I would eat that all up!
      • Most other people would do it differently, helping anybody who was in trouble, whether they knew them or not.

    3. Suggesting conditionality or potentiality in order to express a sense of politeness, tentativeness, indirectness, hesitancy, uncertainty, etc.

      • I would ask you all to sit down.
      • I would imagine that they have already left.
      • I would say/think we would/might do better to catch the earlier flight.

    4. Used to express what the speaker would do in another person's situation, as a means of giving a suggestion or recommendation.

      • It's disgraceful the way that they've treated you. I would write and complain.

    5. Used to express the speaker's belief or assumption.

      • She looked as if she would be sick.
      • He's very security-conscious, so he would have remembered to lock the door.
      • They would be arriving in London round about now.

    6. Could naturally be expected to (given the situation, the tendencies of someone's character etc.).

      • Sorry, officer, I wouldn't know anything about the crime, since I was nowhere near the scene.
      • The free access model, the media magnate said last week, was "malfunctioning". Well he would, wouldn't he? - 2009 May 10, “Is the era of free news over?”, in The Observer:

    7. Used interrogatively to express a polite request; are (you) willing to …?

      • Would you pass the salt, please?
      • Just reach me down that file, would you.

    8. (chiefly archaic) Might wish (+ verb in past subjunctive); often used in the first person (with or without that) in the sense of "if only".

      • PARIS My lord, I would that Thursday were tomorrow. - c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio),...
      • KING HENRY Thou dost not wish more help from England, coz? WESTMORELAND God’s will, my liege, would you and I alone, Without more help, could fight this royal battle! - 1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The...
      • I presently wished, would that I had been in their clothes! would that I had been born Peter! would that I had been born John! - 1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World, to That which is to Come: […],...

    9. (chiefly archaic, transitive or control verb) Might desire; wish (something).

      • What dost thou professe? What would’st thou with vs? - c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac...

Forms

wou'd

Synonyms

used to be so good as to kindly please

Related

will wouldn't wouldst would like would've

Derived

as fate would have it as luck would have it be it what it would butter would not melt in someone's mouth chance would be a fine thing claret would be port if it could do unto others as you would have them do unto you Eddie would go face that would stop a clock how would I know if pigs had wings, they would fly I would I would rather die never-would-be the cat would eat fish but would not wet her feet what would Jesus do what would you like who would have guessed who would have known who would have thought it who would have thunk it would give a Jew's eye would have liked to would it hurt