coulda

English

Etymology

Written form of a reduction of could have.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkʊdə/, [ˈkʰʊd.ə]

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʊdə

Verb

coulda

1. (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

• could of
• could've

Derived terms

• woulda, coulda, shoulda

Related terms

• couldna
• shoulda
• woulda
• mighta
• musta

Jamaican Creole

Etymology

From English could.

Verb

coulda

1. could

   Yuh coulda mek dem guh home.

   You could let them go home.