couldn't
Americancontraction
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.
Steel on its own couldn’t afford the costly upgrades and maintenance needed at Mon Valley, which consists of three plants in separate towns south of Pittsburgh.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
“I mean, I just couldn’t understand,” she said of all her colleagues.
From Salon • Jun. 8, 2026
Meink said at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in May that the government had “a need for speed” in some programs that couldn’t wait for more companies to contribute.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
Rushing and Ward hit back-to-back home runs to right field in the sixth, but the Dodgers couldn’t capitalize on the momentum.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026
For just a moment or two, I thought he had found us a shelter, but I couldn’t see it.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
