Meaning of would in English:

would

Pronunciation /wʊd/ /wəd/

modal verbwould

1
past of will, in various senses
‘he said he would be away for a couple of days’
past of will, in various senses
‘she wouldn't leave’
‘the windows would not close’
- ‘It was in October last year that the club first heard that changes would be made to the lecture theatre.’
- ‘Caroline never met her stepfather and her mother would never hear her voice again.’
- ‘Here his followers would gather in the mornings and afternoons for religious services.’
- ‘The gang would then force a window to get them, or, if the door was unlocked, simply walk in.’
- ‘Florence was shocked when she heard her name would appear in the medieval video.’
- ‘Within minutes, a small crowd would gather and most of them knew of the village.’
- ‘Thatch would have been gathered from reeds and rushes on the shore and used for the roof of the main castle.’
- ‘When last week I heard Morris would be in London for a few days I decided to collar her.’
- ‘Fears had been expressed that the historic building would be closed permanently.’
- ‘Settle parish churchyard was filling up rapidly and would have to close in two years.’
- ‘He left a large gap around the cupboard door hinges and three unit drawers would not close.’
- ‘We were always a close family, we would talk to each other, and we pretty much got along.’
- ‘Moorby said he would be keeping a close eye on player availability right up until Easter.’
- ‘He added that the bell would be first heard in public as part of the Keighley Day events.’
- ‘The first night I was in a room on my own with a window that would only open three or four inches.’
- ‘However, he confirmed that officers would keep a close eye on the cemetery in the future.’
- ‘The mayor said he would be keeping a close eye on the building to try and ensure the problem did not arise again.’
- ‘In July this year the bank said it would close the business having failed to find a buyer.’
- ‘A workman had fitted locks to some windows, but ran out of locks and said he would come back later.’
- ‘So she decided she would climb out of the window onto a low roof and get down to the yard that way.’
2(expressing the conditional mood) indicating the consequence of an imagined event or situation.
‘he would lose his job if he were identified’
- ‘Had Frank Furedi been pondering how to handle the situation he would not have had to look far for advice.’
- ‘And he said if he was faced with the same situation he would again break the speed limit.’
- ‘Huntley said that should such a situation arise, he would report it to a senior member of staff.’
- ‘Mr Haslam said he could not comment on what would happen to the hotel if the application was turned down.’
- ‘If it wasn't a private firm, we would probably be hearing an awful lot more about it.’
- ‘It would be marvellous to hear his reactions on other fuss and bother while he's in the mood.’
- ‘If they had any musical knowledge they would be able to hear our voices are good.’
- ‘If you heard a noise in the dark of night, would you know where to find your torch or a candle?’
- ‘Anything that acts as a deterrent to anti-social behaviour would be used if we needed it.’
- ‘I'm starting to wonder if my writing is really as unclear as my comments would suggest.’
- ‘How tame this behaviour would seem if they were allowed to really have some fun!’
- ‘They would not stop if the police shouted at them because they simply would not hear.’
- ‘She would suffer if she was sent to prison and would have to close her business, leading to the loss of two jobs.’
- ‘If it closed, its customers would have absolutely no qualms about going elsewhere.’
- ‘Later that year Mr Craig put the club on the market and said it would close if a buyer was not found quickly.’
- ‘Players and staff were sacked, and for weeks it looked as though Dundee would close.’
- ‘If a child were to be killed outside a school, would we talk about closing the school?’
- ‘If she were to gossip, it would be with the closest of friends, not when there was a camera in her face.’
- ‘He quoted a friend who offered a woman a free pair of curtains if she would clean her dirty front window.’
- ‘It occurred to me that if this were a business it would most likely have closed long ago.’
1. 2.1I wouldUsed to give advice.
  ‘I wouldn't drink that if I were you’
  ‘Anyway, you can be sure that if I had to spend a week in an hotel, I wouldn't waste it by staying awake.’
  ‘If I were you I'd lock the door.’
  ‘This may reflect in a willingness to pay higher prices, although I wouldn't bet on it.’
  ‘You can go down that channel if you're mad enough, but I wouldn't do it if I were you.’
  ‘In fact, I wouldn't recommend taking the advice of a tied agent under any circumstances.’
  ‘I think it will pick up stuff other than country and western, but I wouldn't advise it!’
  ‘If at all possible I would urge a newcomer to pike fishing to ask an experienced angler if they could tag along for a session or two.’
  ‘If I were you I would get out of here I soon as I could.’
  ‘I would request he moves the aerial so that it does not encroach your property.’
3Expressing a desire or inclination.
‘I would love to work in America’
‘would you like some water?’
- ‘Malcolm Morley, who has worked at the hotel for three years, would love to make Iona his home.’
- ‘We would be delighted to hear from any other people who could support us in some way.’
- ‘As someone who kept a daily diary all her life, she would have loved blogging.’
- ‘He said he would be glad to write me a recommendation.’
- ‘I think instead of arriving at Tortuga by sea, I'd rather arrive by air.’
- ‘Although this is not the outcome that we would have desired, at least it is now at an end.’
- ‘Would you like a glass of water?’
- ‘I would like the windows replaced with the ones we actually thought we were getting.’
- ‘I tell myself I would rather be fat and happy then thin and miserable, but the fact is, I am fat and miserable.’
- ‘It's not the sort of song you hear everyday, nor would want to, but it stands out like a gem in an evening of gems.’
- ‘I would love to see a performance of that opera, but there's none in the next year.’
- ‘I was just about to make breakfast, would you like some?’
- ‘Although he says he would love to be a chef, he will never be able to hold down a job.’
- ‘She would love to build on this success and make a career of dancing at least in the short term.’
- ‘Whether it is for himself or for his country, he would dearly love a Commonwealth Games medal.’
- ‘The pair said they would love to go into showbusiness or work in television in the future.’
- ‘Believe me, it's a club most managers outside the very top ones would love to manage.’
- ‘He mentions his years at Arbroath, his hometown club, and how one day he would love to rejoin them.’
- ‘I sincerely admire your work and would love nothing better than to work on something like this!’
- ‘They would also like to hear from anyone who saw the stolen Maestro earlier in the evening.’
- ‘I said to her that I didn't understand anybody who would want to live like she was.’
4Expressing a polite request.
‘would you pour the wine, please?’
- ‘Would you please turn around?’
- ‘Would you mind clarifying your comment, Alison?’
- ‘Ruth, would you go with me to London?’
1. 4.1Expressing willingness or consent.
  ‘who would live here?’
  ‘The spokesman would not comment on his condition or if and when he will return home.’
  ‘He avoids it, on the record anyway, and there's no way he would comment on other programmes.’
  ‘There was no forced entry to the property, but police would not comment further.’
  ‘Neither the airport not the airline would comment on the cause of the incident.’
  ‘When approached this week about the ward closure, he would make no further comment.’
  ‘Her mother noticed a change in her behaviour because she would not leave the family home and she cried a lot.’
  ‘He asked me to turn it off but I wouldn't, then asked me to go to the office but I listened to the rest of the game first.’
  ‘At primary school we had processed peas, which I wouldn't eat because I got frozen peas at home.’
  ‘For years, nobody would go there, as warnings were passed down from one generation of Oxford cavers to another.’
5Expressing a conjecture, opinion, or hope.
‘I would imagine that they're home by now’
‘I guess some people would consider it brutal’
‘I would have to agree’
- ‘There are only a couple of events that we would call sports, the rest are just bizarre battles.’
- ‘Last week's piece on software piracy drew more than a few comments, as you would expect.’
- ‘We would hope to address both of these problems by having a dedicated service.’
- ‘I would describe the event as a convivial talk with a rather short period for questions.’
- ‘I hope some of you can make it to one of our performances and it would be brilliant to hear some feedback!’
- ‘The input from the communities has not been as strong as one would have hoped.’
- ‘To be honest I wouldn't really consider Eldon Hole a caving trip, although it is a fine pitch.’
- ‘It would be lovely to hear the boy's chatter and not feel left out when they are speaking together.’
- ‘I get involved in spite of myself and, to be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way.’
- ‘There are rumours this could be the last shuttle flight, and I wouldn't be surprised.’
- ‘It would seem that on request of the King, a ship had to be made to fulfil the obligations of the townsmen.’
- ‘Celtic shouldn't lose at home to a team who have had such a difficult season, but I wouldn't rule it out.’
- ‘I'd imagine that serious fans will feel really let down.’
- ‘You'd think that it might be important for her to be able to hear opponents, wouldn't you?’
- ‘They may struggle against Wales and I wouldn't rule out a Scots win over there.’
- ‘I have still to speak to the school, but I wouldn't think this would bring out any issues.’
- ‘I simply mentioned that I wouldn't mind going to Skuba but doubted my friends would come.’
- ‘He incurred three short suspensions, which would seem to indicate that he still has work to do.’
- ‘It would be futile to hope that athletes might be encouraged toward exemplary behaviour.’
- ‘We would therefore hope he will take on board the feelings of fellow residents.’
6ironic Used to make a comment about behaviour that is typical.
‘they would say that, wouldn't they?’
- ‘Now, the conspiracy theorists are going to say, well, the coroners would say that, wouldn't they?’
- ‘Yellow card for Adams for claiming that Carlos took a dive. Now he wouldn't do that, would he?’
7literary with clause Expressing a wish or regret.
‘would that he had lived to finish it’
- ‘Anderson says - and would that he had said it sooner - ‘It can't be England all the time, there must be a middle way’.’
- ‘Oh, I would that I could change his mind.’
- ‘You're so beautiful, and I would I could stay here with you.’