couldn't
contraction of could not.
usage note For couldn't
Words Nearby couldn't
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use couldn't in a sentence
"I c-couldn't," murmured weakly the greatest dramatic poet in the world, and began to cry.
The Regent | E. Arnold Bennett"C-c-couldn't do it with—out," asserted the climber, referring to the moistening operation.
The Brass Bound Box | Evelyn RaymondMind you, I do not say assistant to, because that little word "to" may give a sent-for-and-couldn't-come appearance.
Letters from an Old Railway Official | Charles DeLano HineI couldn t see how they could be happy, and wondered if they were not sick of war.
How Private George W. Peck Put Down The Rebellion | George W. PeckPage 218, could nt changed from couldn t (we could nt play together).
The Story of Opal | Opal Whiteley
British Dictionary definitions for couldn't
/ (ˈkʊdənt) /
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with couldn't
In addition to the idioms beginning with couldn't
- couldn't care less
also see:
- hurt a flea, couldn't
Also see undercan't.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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