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double modal

American  

noun

  1. a syntactic construction in which two modal auxiliaries occur consecutively within a clause, as might could in I might could help you.

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.

Even in casual conversation, he is not likely to fall into what linguists call the double modal�"might could" or "might ought."

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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.