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coulda. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
coulda, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
coulda in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
coulda you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Etymology
Written form of a reduction of could have.
Pronunciation
Verb
coulda
- (colloquial) Contraction of could have.
You coulda told him the truth.
Usage notes
Like other similarly formed contractions, speakers only use coulda to replace the modal sense of could have, i.e. where have precedes a past participle: We coulda seen each other. They do not use it to replace could followed by the verb have used lexically, e.g. *We coulda coffee. See also gonna.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Jamaican Creole
Etymology
From English could.
Verb
coulda
- could
Yuh coulda mek dem guh home.- You could let them go home.