MIGHT | Meaning, Definition In Cambridge English Dictionary

Meaning of might in English mightmodal verb uk /maɪt/ us /maɪt/

might modal verb (MAY)

Add to word list Add to word list past simple of the verb may, used especially when reporting what someone has said, thought, asked, etc.: I brought him some sandwiches because I thought he might be hungry. Very politely the little boy asked if he might have another piece of cake (= he said "May I have another piece of cake, please?").

• "I thought you might have helped, " she replied peevishly.
• He wrote to me last week regarding a business proposition he thought might interest me.
• Jan hasn't got a ticket but I thought we might sneak her in.
• I suggested that a cup of tea might settle her stomach.
• I've brought with me an article from yesterday's paper that I thought might amuse you.

Linguistics: verb forms, tenses & types of verbs

• accusative
• active voice
• aorist
• art
• bent
• conditional
• conjugation
• ditransitive
• imperative
• imperfect
• modal
• modality
• non-finite
• non-progressive
• passivization
• passivize
• tense
• unconjugated
• wast
• wilt

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Polite expressions

might modal verb (POSSIBILITY)

A2 used to express the possibility that something will happen or be done, or that something is true although not very likely: I might come and visit you next year, if I can save enough money. Don't go any closer - it might be dangerous/it might not be safe. Driving so fast, he might have had a nasty accident (= it could have happened but it did not). The rain might have stopped by now.

• He hesitated before ringing her, fearful of what she might say.
• I waited in all evening in the fond hope that he might call.
• I might go along to the party later.
• You should hang onto that painting - it might be valuable one day.
• Keep a lookout for small objects that a baby might swallow.

Achievable

• able
• accomplishable
• achievable
• attainable
• doable
• feasibility of something
• feasibility study
• feasible
• feasibly
• humanly
• manageable
• manageably
• poss
• possible
• practicability
• practical
• reach
• reachable
• viably
• vincible

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Possible and probable

might modal verb (PERMISSION)

mainly UK formal US old-fashioned used as a more polite form of may when asking for permission: Might I ask a question? I wonder if I might have a quick look at your newspaper?

• Might I borrow your pen?
• He asked if he might accompany her.
• Might I sit with you?

Making appeals & requests

• adjuration
• adjure
• appellate
• apply for a job
• apply for something
• apply to someone/something
• appreciate
• car wash
• chugger
• imploring
• imploringly
• importunately
• importune
• importunity
• invite someone to do something
• mooch
• pass the hat around/round idiom
• seek
• supplicant
• tap

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might modal verb (SUGGESTION)

C1 used to make a suggestion or suggest a possibility in a polite way: You might try a little more basil in the sauce next time. I thought you might want to join me for dinner.

• You might like to stay an extra night.
• You might prefer a stronger drink?
• I thought you might like to consider a holiday.

Polite expressions

• actually
• allow
• be so good as to phrase
• by all means idiom
• chance
• cordially
• could
• least
• magic word
• may I ask idiom
• might I ask/inquire/know idiom
• no problem idiom
• pardon (me) idiom
• problem
• say
• thank you
• welcome
• wonder
• would
• you're welcome idiom

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might modal verb (SHOULD)

used to suggest, especially angrily, what someone should do to be pleasant, correct, polite, etc.: You might at least try to look like you're enjoying yourself! "I asked my boss over for dinner tonight." "Well, you might have asked me first!" Suggestions & proposals

• about
• bounce something off someone phrasal verb
• by implication
• can't
• co-sponsor
• drop
• if you take my meaning idiom
• implication
• maybe
• move
• mover
• nod
• nomination
• nominee
• proposed
• put ideas into someone's head idiom
• put someone to something idiom
• put something in phrasal verb
• put something/someone forward phrasal verb
• suggest

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might modal verb (INTRODUCE)

(also may) used to introduce a statement that is very different from the statement you really want to make, in order to compare the two: The amount you save might be small, but it's still worth doing. Linguistics: connecting words which express a contrast

• after
• after all idiom
• again
• albeit
• at any rate idiom
• at least idiom
• best
• disjunctive
• in the face of something idiom
• in the teeth of something idiom
• mind
• mind (you) idiom
• nonetheless
• notwithstanding
• spite
• then again idiom
• though
• when
• whether
• whichever

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Grammar

MightMight comes first in the verb phrase (after the subject and before another verb): … Might: formsMight comes first in the verb phrase (after the subject and before another verb): … Might: usesWe use might most often to refer to weak possibility: … Might: typical errorWe don’t use might for ability; we use can or could: … Could, may and mightWe use could, may and might to express degrees of possibility. Many native speakers disagree on which one expresses more or less certainty. …

Idioms

I might have known might I ask/inquire/know mightnoun [ U ] uk /maɪt/ us /maɪt/ power, strength, or force: Pizarro defeated the might of the Inca Empire with only a few hundred men. She struggled with all her might to get free. Power to control

• absolute authority
• abuse of power
• all's well that ends well idiom
• all-powerful
• ascendancy
• dominance
• domination
• dominion
• driven
• girl power
• oversight
• pay grade
• peer pressure
• power base
• power grab
• the upper hand
• ultra-powerful
• under the command of someone
• under the influence of someone/something
• yoke

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Idiom

with might and main (Definition of might from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

might | American Dictionary

mightus /mɑɪt/

might (MAY)

Add to word list Add to word list past simple of may mightmodal verb us /mɑɪt/ present tense might

might modal verb (POSSIBILITY)

used to express the possibility that something will happen or be done or is true, although it may not be very likely: We might come visit you in Atlanta in the spring. He’s very fast and he might even finish in the top three. The Beach Boys might well have been the most talented act to perform at the Monterey Pop Festival.

might modal verb (SUGGESTION)

used to make a suggestion or suggest a possibility in a polite way: I thought you might like to join me for dinner.

might modal verb (SHOULD)

used to suggest, esp. angrily, what someone should do to be pleasant or polite: You might at least try to look like you’re enjoying yourself! mightnoun [ U ] us /mɑɪt/

might noun [U] (POWER)

power, strength, or force: She struggled with all her might to lift the rock. (Definition of might from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of might

might A number of respondents thought they might be safer than ordinary bulbs, as they needed to be changed less often. From the Cambridge English Corpus Problems, then, are raised about the ecological validity of this constraint and the role it might play in the perception of ordinary, everyday motion. From the Cambridge English Corpus This is as might be expected physically, presumably foretelling the onset of a higher mode as predicted by the airfoil model. From the Cambridge English Corpus An uncomputable problem might not be very interesting since the answer can never physically exist. From the Cambridge English Corpus Specifically, the younger children might be expected to show greater phonetic sensitivity to the input than older children. From the Cambridge English Corpus It is this affective and evaluative progress that teachers might try to develop in pupils in order to develop their skills of musical thinking further. From the Cambridge English Corpus A critic of the data protection regime might note that the legislation protects debtors with more force than it does creditors. From the Cambridge English Corpus If a rule with such a "compound" body is not redundant it might be so in part. From the Cambridge English Corpus The attraction of what might at first blush seem a redundant translation was that nature could speak in a clear and undistorted voice. From the Cambridge English Corpus On the one hand, payout per dollar of premium might be reduced if insurance companies believe that wealthier retirees will live longer. From the Cambridge English Corpus One might even say that if the brain does not use localist representations then evolution has missed an excellent trick. From the Cambridge English Corpus Having only one parent might have meant a household necessity of replacing the loss/absence of one parent. From the Cambridge English Corpus The reported information on the form thus might not correspond to the reality of facts. From the Cambridge English Corpus In this situation it was equally possible that other interested parties might want to strengthen the international reputation of the incumbent government. From the Cambridge English Corpus Together they might suggest paths of reinterpretation of ageing as a social phenomenon. From the Cambridge English Corpus These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors. What is the pronunciation of might?

Translations of might

in Chinese (Traditional) 可能, （may 的過去式）可能，可以, 可能性… See more in Chinese (Simplified) 可能, （may 的过去式）可能，可以, 可能性… See more in Spanish pasado simple de "may", poder, fuerza… See more in Portuguese poder, força, indica possibilidade… See more in Marathi in Japanese in Turkish in French in Catalan in Dutch in Tamil in Hindi in Gujarati in Danish in Swedish in Malay in German in Norwegian in Urdu in Ukrainian in Telugu in Bengali in Czech in Indonesian in Thai in Vietnamese in Polish in Korean in Italian एखादवेळेस, बघ, बघा… See more （あまり確実でない可能性を表す）ひょっとして～かもしれない, （確実性の低い推量を表す）ひょっとして～かもしれない, 力… See more olasılık/ihtimal bildiren yardmıcı fiil, ...a/e bilir, olması mümkün… See more pourrais/-ait/-ions/-iez/-aient, devrais/-ait/-ions/-iez/-aient peut-être, aurais/-ait/-ions/-iez/-aient pu… See more poder, força… See more zou kunnen, macht… See more ஏதாவது நடக்கும் அல்லது செய்யப்படும், அல்லது மிகவும் சாத்தியம் இல்லை என்றாலும் ஏதாவது உண்மை என்று சாத்தியம் வெளிப்படுத்த பயன்படுத்தப்படுகிறது, ஒரு ஆலோசனையை வழங்க அல்லது கண்ணியமான வழியில் ஒரு வாய்ப்பை பரிந்துரைக்க பயன்படுகிறது… See more कर सकना, हो सकना, कुछ संभावित घटित होगा या किया जाएगा या कुछ सही है किंतु संभव नहीं यह दर्शाने के लिए प्रयुक्त… See more કંઈક થશે અથવા કરવામાં આવશે, અથવા તે કંઈક સાચું છે, ભલે તેની સંભાવના ઓછી હોય… See more kunne, ville måske, kunne måske… See more skulle, skulle kanske, skulle kunna… See more mungkin, boleh, kekuasaan… See more pt. of may:können, können, die Macht… See more kunne (kanskje), kunne kanskje, kunne… See more ہونے کا امکان (مستقبل میں)… See more міг, міг би, могутність… See more ఏమో, మర్యాదపూర్వకంగా సూచన చేయడానికి లేదా అవకాశాన్ని సూచించడానికి వాడేది… See more অতীত সম্ভাবনা (হ'লেও হ'তে পারত), হতে পারে… See more snad, možná, mohl(a) by(ch)… See more mungkin, bisa, keperkasaan… See more กริยาช่วยช่องที่ 2 ของ may, อาจจะ, น่าจะ… See more quá khứ của may, sử dụng trong lời đề nghị lịch sự, đề nghị ai làm gì… See more móc, potęga, siła… See more -할지도 모르는, 아마 -인지도 모르는, 힘… See more usato per parlare di ciò che potrebbe accadere: potere, usato per parlare di ciò che è possibile: potere, forza… See more Need a translator?

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mielie meal mien mifepristone miffed might might I ask/inquire/know idiom might just as well idiom might've might-have-been {{#randomImageQuizHook.filename}} {{#randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes Try a quiz now {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{^randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.filename}}

More meanings of might

• may
• might've
• might-have-been
• might I ask/inquire/know idiom
• may/might as well idiom
• pigs might fly idiom
• I might have known idiom

See all meanings

• might I ask/inquire/know idiom
• may/might as well idiom
• pigs might fly idiom
• I might have known idiom
• might just as well idiom
• with might and main idiom
• pigs might fly, at pigs can fly idiom

See all idioms and phrases

Word of the Day

quit on someone

UK /kwɪt/ US /kwɪt/

to stop supporting or being friends with someone, especially when they need your support

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• English   
  • Modal verb 
    • might (MAY)
    • might (POSSIBILITY)
    • might (PERMISSION)
    • might (SUGGESTION)
    • might (SHOULD)
    • might (INTRODUCE)
  Noun
• American   
  • Modal verb 
    • might (POSSIBILITY)
    • might (SUGGESTION)
    • might (SHOULD)
  • Noun 
    • might (POWER)
• Examples

• Translations
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