couldn't

[ kood-nt ]

1. contraction of could not.

couldn't

/ ˈkʊdənt /

contraction of

1. could not

Usage Note

See care, contraction.

Idioms and Phrases

• hurt a flea, couldn't
• can't

Example Sentences

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, on Thursday Trump announced that he had chosen Robert F. Kennedy Jr for Secretary of Health and Human Services.

From Salon

She hoped she could preserve her private life as a student, but that veil couldn’t last.

From Los Angeles Times

Many pundits thought that a candidate who ran the most racist campaign since George Wallace in 1968 couldn’t possibly move above a ceiling that would keep them far short of a majority.

From Salon

Those who handed our country over to Putin and to US and foreign-born oligarchs because they couldn’t vote for a Black woman or because “owning the libs” are gonna find out.

From Salon

I knew we’d lost when Democrats ganged up on Joe Biden and those conservatives who hated Trump but would vote for Biden just simply couldn’t bring themselves to vote for a California liberal like Harris.

From Salon