should
must; ought (used to indicate duty, propriety, or expediency): You should not do that.All of this is irresponsible alarmism and should be dismissed as such.
(used to express an expectation): They should arrive around dinner time.The paper you need should be in the drawer.
(used to express a correction): In your first sentence, that semicolon should be a comma.
(used to express a potential future event or condition): Were he to arrive, I should be pleased.
would (used to make a statement less direct or blunt): I should think you would apologize.
simple past tense of shall.
a demand or requirement; something a person must or ought to do: Placing too many shoulds or unrealistic expectations on yourself can contribute to stress.It’s hard to find joy anymore with all these oughts and shoulds.
Origin of should
1synonym study For should
confusables note For should
Because the main function of should in modern American English is to express duty, necessity, etc. ( You should get your flu shot before winter comes ), its use for other purposes, as to form a subjunctive, can produce ambiguity, at least initially: I should get my flu shot if I were you. Furthermore, should seems an affectation to many Americans when used in certain constructions quite common in British English: Had I been informed, I should (American would ) have called immediately. I should (American would ) really prefer a different arrangement. As with shall and will, most educated native speakers of American English do not follow the textbook rule in making a choice between should and would. See also shall.
Words that may be confused with should
- should , would (see confusables note at the current entry)
Words Nearby should
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use should in a sentence
Apparently, Shakespeare coined 1,700 words, from the frequently used (excitement) to the should-be-more frequently used (spewed).
I never had to go through the should-I-stay-at-home conversation.
The NYT’s Game of Thrones: How the Top Journalism Job Was Dangled at Guardian Editor | Lloyd Grove | May 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTMost thought-provoking for me, however, in this should-have-been story is the moral at the end.
Why Can't Our Politics Improve Like Our Medicine? | David Frum | February 23, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThe problem is that Scott is unpopular—awkward, should-we-be-seen-with-him-in-public unpopular.
10 GOP Endorsements That Still Matter in 2012’s Presidential Election | John Avlon | December 7, 2011 | THE DAILY BEASTLess obvious: To what degree can/should advanced countries act unilaterally without waiting for a grand global bargain?
They have a model of the man-as-he-should-be to which they mold him, in spite of himself and without his knowledge.
Folkways | William Graham SumnerThe type of the man-as-he-should-be varies by fashion, and this type exerts a great selection in the education of the young.
Folkways | William Graham SumnerIn mediæval society there were strongly defined ideals of the man-as-he-should-be.
Folkways | William Graham SumnerIs the ideal of the man-as-he-should-be to be found, for us, in the "common man," or in the highest product of our culture?
Folkways | William Graham SumnerBut do you not see that though the King should-300- favour us, yet Amneris's rage would be beyond all bounds?
Operas Every Child Should Know | Mary Schell Hoke Bacon
British Dictionary definitions for should
/ (ʃʊd) /
the past tense of shall : used as an auxiliary verb to indicate that an action is considered by the speaker to be obligatory (you should go) or to form the subjunctive mood with I or we (I should like to see you; if I should be late, go without me): See also shall
Origin of should
1usage For should
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with should
In addition to the idiom beginning with should
- should have stood in bed, I
also see:
- (should) get one's head examined
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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