shoulda

English

Etymology

Written form of a reduction of should have.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃʊdə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʊdə

Verb

shoulda (past subjunctive)

1. (colloquial) Contraction of should +‎ have.

   You shoulda told him the truth.

Usage notes

Like other similarly formed contractions, speakers only use shoulda to replace the modal sense of should have, i.e. where have precedes a past participle:  You shoulda gone. They do not use it to replace should followed by the verb have used lexically, e.g.  You shoulda some patience. See also gonna.

Derived terms

• woulda, coulda, shoulda

See also

• coulda
• shouldna
• should've
• woulda
• mighta
• musta