couldn't

American

[kood-nt] / ˈkʊd nt /

contraction of could not.

couldn't British

/ ˈkʊdənt /

contraction

could not

"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

couldn't Idioms

More idioms and phrases containing couldn't

can't
hurt a flea, couldn't

Usage

See care, contraction.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He and his Sherpa emerged from their tent into 50-mile-an-hour winds, a blizzard so fierce that Whittaker couldn’t see his feet.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

A California Highway Patrol spokesperson couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

In more than a third of the cases, prosecutors quickly dismissed charges that couldn’t be substantiated, refused to file charges at all, or lost at trial.

From Salon • Apr. 15, 2026

"I just couldn't - for the life of me - fathom maths," she said.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

“Oh, trust me, I know how very little I matter to you, the fox who couldn’t even be bothered to ask my name.”

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023