Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use could in a sentence

40 example sentences · verb, noun

Could means used as a past subjunctive (contrary to fact). Example: “I think he could do it if he really wanted to.”

Examples of could by meaning

verbUsed as a past subjunctive (contrary to fact).

  • I think he could do it if he really wanted to.
  • I wish I could fly!
  • I'd have thought you could have done the dishes, at least.

verbUsed to politely ask for permission to do something.

  • Could I borrow your coat?

verbUsed to politely ask for someone else to do something.

  • Could you proofread this email?
  • I wonder, you couldn't loan me the money, could you?

verbUsed to show the possibility that something might happen.

  • We could rearrange the time if you like.
  • Even without hovering drones, a lurking assassin, a thumping score and a denouement, the real-life story of Edward Snowden, a rogue spy on the run, could be straight out of the cinema.2013 June 29, “Travels and travails”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 55

verbUsed to suggest something.

  • You could try adding more salt to the soup.

nounSomething that could happen, or could be the case, under different circumstances; a potentiality.

  • When the golf ball is there, the whole self-interference package — the hopes, worries, and fears; the thoughts on how-to and how-not-to; the woulds, the coulds, and the shoulds — is there too.1996, Fred Shoemaker, Extraordinary Golf: The Art of the Possible, page 88
  • Shushona you must learn to rightfully prioritize all the woulds, shoulds and coulds of your life.2010, Shushona Novos, The Personal Universal: A Guidebook for Spiritual Evolution, page 395

More sentences with could

  • Only by submitting to the aberration could the human traders travel safely through the territory of Zularn.From the entry aberration
  • "I never could abide shoemakers," said an old servant,—and it ended in her marrying one.From the entry abide
  • All they could ever do was to shout abusive inanities at me.From the entry abusive
  • The few cheapest hotels I could find are the farthest too.From the entry few
  • The work was done in secret, so that nobody could object.From the entry secret
  • The teams competed to see who could collect (the) most money.From the entry most
  • I could have been Secretary of State now if I hadn’t left politics five years ago.From the entry now
  • You told me I could do that, but she said that I could not.From the entry but
  • I started to watch the video yesterday, but could only finish it this evening.From the entry yesterday
  • He could not come on grounds of health, or on health grounds.From the entry ground
  • The car behind was following too close and could not brake in time.From the entry close
  • The casting was mounted on a milling machine so that its sides could be squared.From the entry square
  • I can't believe you quaffed four pints of beer and could still drive!From the entry quaff
  • He jacked the car so that he could replace the brake pads.From the entry jack
  • He took the swing shift for he could get more overtime.From the entry for
  • Could we ask you to move, please. These seats are ours.From the entry ours
  • A thousand quid for that motor? Do me a lemon! I could get it for half that.From the entry lemon
  • That car must be worth a fortune! How could you afford it?From the entry fortune
  • It was so cold a day that I could hardly breathe outside.From the entry so
  • I could hear them quarreling upstairs, but didn’t really listen to their argument.From the entry hear
  • I could hear you talking upstairs, but I didn’t really listen to your conversation.From the entry listen
  • It could be one or the other, or both. Who knows?From the entry who knows
  • We went there by foot because we could not afford a taxi.From the entry foot
  • Could you do me a burger with mayonnaise instead of ketchup?From the entry do
  • He was speaking an Arabic that they'd never heard before and could barely understand.From the entry arabic
  • We had a race to see who could finish the book the quickest.From the entry race
  • He was bent on going to Texas, but not even he could say why.From the entry bent
  • Could you tell me how the document came to be discovered?From the entry come
  • Careful! It looks as if that ceiling could go at any moment!From the entry go

Meaning of could

  1. verb Used as a past subjunctive (contrary to fact).
  2. verb Used to politely ask for permission to do something.
  3. verb Used to politely ask for someone else to do something.

Full definition of could

Questions about could in a sentence

How do you use could in a sentence?
Could is used as a verb and noun. For example: “I think he could do it if he really wanted to.”
What is a short sentence with could?
“Could I borrow your coat?”
What does could mean?
Could means used as a past subjunctive (contrary to fact).

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: could (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use could in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/could. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.