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.
I’m almost positive this piece existed; and the fact that I couldn’t find any mention of it in the sad, hollowed-out husk of the 2026 internet offers no proof that it didn’t.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
“Why couldn’t she just say no? She’s an evil person,” Lopez wrote in a statement presented at Carlos’ sentencing hearing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
"When I got home on Friday I told my mum I couldn't believe it was already over," she said.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
"I had to make sure I looked 10 out of 10, I couldn't compromise on that."
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
“I couldn’t do it. I’d never be that strong or that courageous,” I whisper.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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.
