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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.

It couldn’t hurt that expectations for future Fed rate changes shifted away from future hikes over the past week.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

“I couldn’t be more thrilled about this opportunity,” says Wilkinson.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

Seaman, the Akamai researcher and a Big Pipes member, couldn’t believe what Brundage was picking up.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

A24 and Borgli surely knew this secret couldn’t stay hidden forever, and that’s ultimately a good thing.

From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026

As she smiled, she tasted the distinct warm, soft sweetness of SJ’s frybread and couldn’t wait to return so that she could get more practice, company, and, of course, more food.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

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