ought — English Dictionary

Verb

1. Indicating duty or obligation.

   Usage

   • auxiliary
   • dialectal
   • Formal

   Examples

   I ought to vote in the coming election.

2. Indicating advisability or prudence.

   Usage

   • auxiliary
   • dialectal
   • Formal

   Synonyms

   should

   Examples

   You ought to always stand back from the edge of the platform.

   Do you think we ought to leave now?

3. Indicating desirability.

   Usage

   • auxiliary
   • dialectal
   • Formal

   Synonyms

   should

   Examples

   He ought to read the book; it was very good.

4. Indicating likelihood or probability.

   Usage

   • auxiliary
   • dialectal
   • Formal

   Synonyms

   should

   Examples

   We ought to arrive by noon if we take the motorway, shouldn't we?

   More examples (1)

   My hopes wa'n't disappointed. I never saw clams thicker than they was along them inshore flats. I filled my dreener in no time, and then it come to me that 'twouldn't be a bad idee to get a lot more, take 'em with me to Wellmouth, and peddle 'em out. Clams was fairly scarce over that side of the bay and ought to fetch a fair price.

Noun

1. A statement of what ought to be the case as contrasted with what is the case.

   Usage

   • auxiliary
   • dialectal
   • Formal

   Related words

   aughtnaughtnought

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   There are value judgments that are not reducible to observable matters of fact, and there are oughts that cannot be construed as hypothetical and, therefore, cannot be converted into statements of fact.

   Is there a fallacy involved in deriving an ought from a set of exclusively factual or descriptive premises?