ought
1 Americanauxiliary verb
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(used to express duty or moral obligation).
Every citizen ought to help.
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(used to express justice, moral rightness, or the like).
He ought to be punished. You ought to be ashamed.
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(used to express propriety, appropriateness, etc.).
You ought to be home early. We ought to bring her some flowers.
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(used to express probability or natural consequence).
That ought to be our train now.
noun
noun
verb
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to indicate duty or obligation
you ought to pay your dues
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to express prudent expediency
you ought to be more careful with your money
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(usually with reference to future time) to express probability or expectation
you ought to finish this work by Friday
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to express a desire or wish on the part of the speaker
you ought to come next week
pronoun
noun
Usage
Ought1 forms its negative in a number of ways. Ought not occurs in all types of speech and writing and is fully standard: The conferees ought not to waste time on protocol. Oughtn't, largely a spoken form, is found mainly in the Midland and Southern dialects of the United States, where it is almost the universal form. Hadn't ought is a common spoken form in the Northern dialect area. It is sometimes condemned in usage guides and is uncommon in educated speech except of the most informal variety. Didn't ought and shouldn't ought are considered nonstandard. 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.
In correct English, ought is not used with did or had. I ought not to do it, not I didn't ought to do it ; I ought not to have done it, not I hadn't ought to have done it
Synonym Usage
See must 1.
Etymology
Origin of ought
First recorded before 900; Middle English ought, aught, Old English āhte, past tense of āgan “to owe ”
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.
“We are standing with the powers that ought to be — the teachers and the nurses, the farmers and the ranchers, the grandmother who is facing eviction.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
Braga ought to have scored just before the end of the opening half, a reminder of the wonderful psychology of this fixture.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
These structural differences ought to drive regulatory ones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
And while it ought not to have been avoided, the churchly aspects of country are acknowledged, and it was smart pacing to follow “How Great Thou Art” by Jaci Velasquez with the raucous Ms. Clark.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
And ought she have given Dr. Westminster some warning about the...well, unusual traits of her three pupils?
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
