would

¹

[ wood; unstressed wuhd ]

auxiliary verb

1. a simple past tense and past participle of will ¹.
2. (used to express the future in past sentences):

   He said he would go tomorrow.

3. (used in place of will, to make a statement or form a question less direct or blunt):

   That would scarcely be fair. Would you be so kind?

4. (used to express repeated or habitual action in the past):

   We would visit Grandma every morning up at the farm.

5. (used to express an intention or inclination):

   Nutritionists would have us all eat whole grains.

6. (used to express an uncertainty):

   It would appear that he is guilty.

7. (used in conditional sentences to express choice or possibility):

   They would come if they had the fare. If the temperature were higher, the water would evaporate.

8. would have, (used with a past participle to express unfulfilled intention or preference):

   I would have saved you some but Jimmy took it all.

verb (used with object)

1. (used to express a wish):

   Would he were here!

would

²

[ wohld ]

noun

1. weld ².

would

/ wʊd; wəd /

verb

1. used as an auxiliary to form the past tense or subjunctive mood of will 1
2. withyou, he, she, it, they, or a noun as subject used as an auxiliary to indicate willingness or desire in a polite manner

   would you help me, please?

3. used as an auxiliary to describe a past action as being accustomed or habitual

   every day we would go for walks

4. I wish

   would that he were here

Usage

See should

Confusables Note

See should.

Word History and Origins

Origin of would¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English would, wald(e), wold(e), wuld(e), Old English wolde, walde; will ¹

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. would like, (used to express desire):

   I would like to go next year.

2. would rather. rather ( def 9 ).

More idioms and phrases containing would

• as luck would have it
• fly on the wall, would like to be a
• wouldn't

Example Sentences

Results showed an enormous difference -- more than 70 percentage points -- in the probability between these two groups that respondents would strongly agree that sports build character.

From Science Daily

In April, a New York judge decided that Majors would not serve jail time and ordered the actor to complete a 52-week in-person batterer’s intervention program and continue with his mental health therapy.

From Los Angeles Times

And that would need a two-thirds vote by each house of Congress — both about to be controlled by the GOP — plus ratification by three-fourths of state legislatures.

From Los Angeles Times

Sometimes, it continued, he would videotape the encounters, and always gave the boys money.

From Salon

“If the things in the House Ethics report were true, I would be under indictment and probably in a prison cell, but of course, they're false,” he said.

From Salon