intj · noun · verb · 17 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
/wəd/weak form
/əd/weak form
UK:weak formRecorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
/(w)ʊ(l)d/Early Modern, weak form
/wʊd/Received Pronunciation, General American, Australia, strong form
strong formRecorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
US:strong formRecorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
/wɵd/Standard Southern British, strong form
/wʉd/Scotland, Northern Ireland, strong form
/wuːld/Early Modern, strong form
homophone: wood
rhymes with -ʊd
CMU ARPABET:W UH1 D
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
intj
Meaning 1
Ellipsis of I would, used to denote that the speaker finds another person sexually attractive.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Something that would happen, or would be the case, under different circumstances; a potentiality.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
verb
Meaning 3
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.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: auxiliary
Examples
On my first day at University, I met the woman who would become my wife.
Hi! I thought I'd come over and introduce myself. My name’s Chema.
I'm really flattered you would call your daughter after me.
They thought anything Elvis did would sell, but that was not true.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
verb
Meaning 4
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)
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: auxiliary
Examples
When we were younger, we would cycle out to the beach most summer Sundays.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
verb
Meaning 5
Past tense of will; usually followed by a bare infinitive.
Was or were determined to; indicating someone's insistence upon doing something.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: auxiliary
Examples
I asked her to stay in with me, but she would go out.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
verb
Meaning 6
Past tense of will; usually followed by a bare infinitive.
Wanted to.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, auxiliary
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
verb
Meaning 7
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.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, auxiliary
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
verb
Meaning 8
Past tense of will; usually followed by a bare infinitive.
Wished, desired (something).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: auxiliary, obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
9
verb
Meaning 9
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.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: auxiliary
Examples
If I won the lottery, I would give half the money to charity.
I'd never do anything that went against my conscience.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
10
verb
Meaning 10
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.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: auxiliary
Examples
I would love to come and visit.
Look at that yummy cake! I would eat that all up!
Most other people would do it differently, helping anybody who was in trouble, whether they knew them or not.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
11
verb
Meaning 11
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.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: auxiliary
Examples
I would ask you all to sit down.
I would imagine that they have already left.
I would say/think we would/might do better to catch the earlier flight.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
12
verb
Meaning 12
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.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: auxiliary
Examples
It's disgraceful the way that they've treated you. I would write and complain.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
13
verb
Meaning 13
A modal verb, the subjunctive of will; usually followed by a bare infinitive.
Used to express the speaker's belief or assumption.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: auxiliary
Examples
She looked as if she would be sick.
He's very security-conscious, so he would have remembered to lock the door.
They would be arriving in London round about now.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
14
verb
Meaning 14
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.).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: auxiliary
Examples
Sorry, officer, I wouldn't know anything about the crime, since I was nowhere near the scene.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
15
verb
Meaning 15
A modal verb, the subjunctive of will; usually followed by a bare infinitive.
Used interrogatively to express a polite request; are (you) willing to ...?
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: auxiliary
Examples
Would you pass the salt, please?
Just reach me down that file, would you.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
16
verb
Meaning 16
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".
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, auxiliary
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
17
verb
Meaning 17
A modal verb, the subjunctive of will; usually followed by a bare infinitive.
Might desire; wish (something).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, auxiliary
Qualifier: transitive or control verb
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Old English wolde, past tense of willan, predecessor of will. The loss of /l/ in this word is probably due to weak stress, as in should and could (though in the latter, the /l/ was due to the analogy of the former two).
Across languages
Translations
92 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Assamese:
হেঁতেন
(hẽten)
— indicating an action or state that is conditional on another
Assamese:
হয়
(hoy)
— indicating an action or state that is conditional on another
Early Assamese:
হন্তে
(honte)
— indicating an action or state that is conditional on another
Czech:
kdybyste neotevřeli okno!
— indicating an action or state that is conditional on another
Dutch:
zou
— indicating an action or state that is conditional on another
Dutch:
zouden
— indicating an action or state that is conditional on another
Finnish:
jos et olisi avannut ikkunaa!
— indicating an action or state that is conditional on another
Hungarian:
-na
— indicating an action or state that is conditional on another
Hungarian:
-ne
— indicating an action or state that is conditional on another
Hungarian:
-ná
— indicating an action or state that is conditional on another
Hungarian:
-né
— indicating an action or state that is conditional on another
Lithuanian:
jei nebūtum atidaręs lango!
— indicating an action or state that is conditional on another
Polish:
by
— indicating an action or state that is conditional on another
Polish:
gdybyś nie otworzył okna!
— indicating an action or state that is conditional on another
Romanian:
avea
— indicating an action or state that is conditional on another
Russian:
если бы ты не открыл окно!
— indicating an action or state that is conditional on another
Swedish:
skulle
— indicating an action or state that is conditional on another
Turkish:
daha sıcak olurduk!
— indicating an action or state that is conditional on another
Dutch:
zou
— indicating a possible (but not definite) future action or state
Dutch:
zouden
— indicating a possible (but not definite) future action or state
Esperanto:
We sat on the bench
— indicating a possible (but not definite) future action or state
Esperanto:
ĉu la buso malfruos ĉi tiun fojon.
— indicating a possible (but not definite) future action or state
Finnish:
We sat on the bench
— indicating a possible (but not definite) future action or state
French:
We sat on the bench
— indicating a possible (but not definite) future action or state
German:
We sat on the bench
— indicating a possible (but not definite) future action or state
German:
ob der Bus diesmal zu spät käme.
— indicating a possible (but not definite) future action or state
Hungarian:
We sat on the bench
— indicating a possible (but not definite) future action or state
Hungarian:
és azon gondolkoztunk
— indicating a possible (but not definite) future action or state
Hungarian:
hogy ezúttal elkésik-e a busz.
— indicating a possible (but not definite) future action or state
Italian:
We sat on the bench
— indicating a possible (but not definite) future action or state
Portuguese:
We sat on the bench
— indicating a possible (but not definite) future action or state
Russian:
We sat on the bench
— indicating a possible (but not definite) future action or state
Russian:
опоздает ли автобус.
— indicating a possible (but not definite) future action or state
Spanish:
conditional tense
— indicating a possible (but not definite) future action or state
Spanish:
We sat on the bench
— indicating a possible (but not definite) future action or state
Swedish:
skulle
— indicating a possible (but not definite) future action or state
Swedish:
We sat on the bench
— indicating a possible (but not definite) future action or state
Turkish:
We sat on the bench
— indicating a possible (but not definite) future action or state
Dutch:
zou
— indicating an action in the past that was planned or intended
Dutch:
zouden
— indicating an action in the past that was planned or intended
Esperanto:
ke li tuj revenos.
— indicating an action in the past that was planned or intended
Finnish:
että hän palaa pian.
— indicating an action in the past that was planned or intended
Finnish:
Tarjoilija sanoi palaavansa pian.
— indicating an action in the past that was planned or intended
German:
er sei sofort wieder da.
— indicating an action in the past that was planned or intended
Hungarian:
hogy mindjárt visszajön.
— indicating an action in the past that was planned or intended
Russian:
что скоро вернется.
— indicating an action in the past that was planned or intended
Spanish:
conditional tense
— indicating an action in the past that was planned or intended
Swedish:
skulle
— indicating an action in the past that was planned or intended
Dutch:
In the winters
— indicating an action in the past that happened repeatedly or commonly
Esperanto:
In the winters
— indicating an action in the past that happened repeatedly or commonly
Finnish:
In the winters
— indicating an action in the past that happened repeatedly or commonly
French:
In the winters
— indicating an action in the past that happened repeatedly or commonly
German:
In the winters
— indicating an action in the past that happened repeatedly or commonly
Hungarian:
In the winters
— indicating an action in the past that happened repeatedly or commonly
Hungarian:
és halásztunk.
— indicating an action in the past that happened repeatedly or commonly
Italian:
In the winters
— indicating an action in the past that happened repeatedly or commonly
Portuguese:
In the winters
— indicating an action in the past that happened repeatedly or commonly
Russian:
In the winters
— indicating an action in the past that happened repeatedly or commonly
Spanish:
In the winters
— indicating an action in the past that happened repeatedly or commonly
Swedish:
In the winters
— indicating an action in the past that happened repeatedly or commonly
Turkish:
In the winters
— indicating an action in the past that happened repeatedly or commonly
Dutch:
zou
— used to express a polite request
Dutch:
zouden
— used to express a polite request
Dutch:
gelieve
— used to express a polite request
Dutch:
Gelieve de TV uit te schakelen
— used to express a polite request
Dutch:
a.u.b.
— used to express a polite request
Esperanto:
bonvoli
— used to express a polite request
Esperanto:
mi petas?
— used to express a polite request
French:
vouloir
— used to express a polite request
French:
veuillez
— used to express a polite request
French:
pouvoir
— used to express a polite request
French:
s'il te plaît?
— used to express a polite request
French:
Pourriez-vous
— used to express a polite request
French:
Veuillez éteindre la télévision
— used to express a polite request
French:
s'il vous plaît?
— used to express a polite request
Hungarian:
Megtennéd
— used to express a polite request
Hungarian:
hogy kikapcsolod a tv-t?
— used to express a polite request
Italian:
volere
— used to express a polite request
Italian:
per favore?
— used to express a polite request
Italian:
Vuole spegnere la televisione
— used to express a polite request
Italian:
per favore?
— used to express a polite request
Portuguese:
por favor
— used to express a polite request
Portuguese:
por favor?
— used to express a polite request
Portuguese:
Poderia desligar a televisão
— used to express a polite request
Portuguese:
por favor?
— used to express a polite request
Russian:
Выключите
— used to express a polite request
Russian:
пожалуйста
— used to express a polite request
Russian:
телевизор.
— used to express a polite request
Spanish:
por favor
— used to express a polite request
Spanish:
por favor?
— used to express a polite request
Spanish:
¿Podría usted apagar la televisión
— used to express a polite request
Spanish:
por favor?
— used to express a polite request
