ought
1(used to express duty or moral obligation): Every citizen ought to help.
(used to express justice, moral rightness, or the like): He ought to be punished. You ought to be ashamed.
(used to express propriety, appropriateness, etc.): You ought to be home early. We ought to bring her some flowers.
(used to express probability or natural consequence): That ought to be our train now.
duty or obligation.
Origin of ought
1synonym study For ought
usage note For ought
Both positive and negative forms of ought are almost always followed by the infinitive form: We ought to go now. You ought not to worry about it. Occasionally, to is omitted after the negative construction: Congress ought not adjourn without considering this bill.
Words Nearby ought
Other definitions for ought (2 of 2)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use ought in a sentence
There was a string, dating back to the late oughts, when I rarely missed one.
When companies do bad things they ought to be held accountable for them.
Why Do ‘Progressives’ Want to Ban Uber and AirBnB? | Adam Thierer, Christopher Koopman | December 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWe ought to seek Chinese cooperation in a response to this North Korean act of aggression.
Obama Could Hit China to Punish North Korea | Shane Harris, Tim Mak | December 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThen when we arrive at his flat in Shepherd's Bush following the escape, perhaps there ought to be remnants of the ladder.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days | David Freeman | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe officers explained that those Sikhs had been lynched to death and that Singh ought to anticipate the same fate for himself.
As 30-Year Anniversary of Mass Killings in India Arrives, Sikhs Find Safety in USA | Simran Jeet Singh | October 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
“Novelist good for nothing else,” said Samuel Beckett, and that ought to be taken as a compliment.
Nobel Prize Winner Modiano’s Magical Musical Prose About Paris | Pierre Assouline | October 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd is this a mere fantastic talk, or is this a thing that could be done and that ought to be done?
The Salvaging Of Civilisation | H. G. (Herbert George) WellsI, therefore, deliver it as a maxim, that whoever desires the character of a proud man ought to conceal his vanity.
Pearls of Thought | Maturin M. BallouWhen we speak against one capital vice, we ought to speak against its opposite; the middle betwixt both is the point for virtue.
Pearls of Thought | Maturin M. BallouI really ought to visit my California estates, and I have always wanted to see that part of America.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonBut she told Grandfather Mole that it was all right—that she knew a person of his age ought not to go without his breakfast.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole | Arthur Scott Bailey
British Dictionary definitions for ought (1 of 3)
/ (ɔːt) /
to indicate duty or obligation: you ought to pay your dues
to express prudent expediency: you ought to be more careful with your money
(usually with reference to future time) to express probability or expectation: you ought to finish this work by Friday
to express a desire or wish on the part of the speaker: you ought to come next week
Origin of ought
1usage For ought
British Dictionary definitions for ought (2 of 3)
/ (ɔːt) /
a variant spelling of aught 1
British Dictionary definitions for ought (3 of 3)
/ (ɔːt) /
a less common word for nought (def. 1)
Origin of ought
3Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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