WOULD

5 definitions found across Law Mind sources

WOULDv.
Websters Unabridged Dictionary (1913) • 1913
Commonly used as an auxiliary verb, either in the past tense or in the conditional or optative present. See 2d & 3d Will.
WOULDn.
Websters Unabridged Dictionary (1913) • 1913
See 2d Weld.
wouldverb
Wiktionary (English) • 2026
Wiktionary contributorsCC BY-SA 4.0 • via Kaikki
Extracted and formatted for display by Law Mind. Source link opens the current Wiktionary page and its contributor history; it is not a frozen copy of this extract.
Past tense of will; usually followed by a bare infinitive. | Used to form the "anterior future", or "future in the past", indicating a futurity relative to a past time. | Past tense of will; usually followed by a bare infinitive. | Used to, did repeatedly, habitually; indicates an action that happened several times in the past (cannot describe continuous states, as in I used to live in London) | Past tense of will; usually followed by a bare infinitive. | Was or were determined to; indicating someone's insistence upon doing something. | Past tense of will; usually followed by a bare infinitive. | Wanted to. | Past tense of will; usually followed by a bare infinitive. | Used with ellipsis of the infinitive verb, or postponement to a relative clause, in various senses. | Past tense of will; usually followed by a bare infinitive. | Wished, desired (something). | A modal verb, the subjunctive of will; usually followed by a bare infinitive. | Used as the auxiliary of the simple conditional modality, indicating a state or action that is conditional on another. | A modal verb, the subjunctive of will; usually followed by a bare infinitive. | Without explicit condition, or with loose or vague implied condition, indicating a hypothetical or imagined state or action. | A modal verb, the subjunctive of will; usually followed by a bare infinitive. | Suggesting conditionality or potentiality in order to express a sense of politeness, tentativeness, indirectness, hesitancy, uncertainty, etc. | A modal verb, the subjunctive of will; usually followed by a bare infinitive. | Used to express what the speaker would do in another person's situation, as a means of giving a suggestion or recommendation. | A modal verb, the subjunctive of will; usually followed by a bare infinitive. | Used to express the speaker's belief or assumption. | A modal verb, the subjunctive of will; usually followed by a bare infinitive. | Could naturally be expected to (given the situation, the tendencies of someone's character etc.). | A modal verb, the subjunctive of will; usually followed by a bare infinitive. | Used interrogatively to express a polite request; are (you) willing to …? | A modal verb, the subjunctive of will; usually followed by a bare infinitive. | Might wish (+ verb in past subjunctive); often used in the first person (with or without that) in the sense of "if only". | A modal verb, the subjunctive of will; usually followed by a bare infinitive. | Might desire; wish (something).
wouldnoun
Wiktionary (English) • 2026
Wiktionary contributorsCC BY-SA 4.0 • via Kaikki
Extracted and formatted for display by Law Mind. Source link opens the current Wiktionary page and its contributor history; it is not a frozen copy of this extract.
Something that would happen, or would be the case, under different circumstances; a potentiality.
wouldintj
Wiktionary (English) • 2026
Wiktionary contributorsCC BY-SA 4.0 • via Kaikki
Extracted and formatted for display by Law Mind. Source link opens the current Wiktionary page and its contributor history; it is not a frozen copy of this extract.
Ellipsis of I would, used to denote that the speaker finds another person sexually attractive.

Explore the full Law Mind legal research platform.

SubscribeEncyclopediaSign In