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⇱ ought - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

ought

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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈɔːt/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ɔt/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(ôt)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
ought1 /ɔt/USA pronunciation   auxiliary (modal) verb.
    [~ + to + root form of a verb]
  1. (used to express the opinion that the action of the main verb is one's duty or moral obligation):Every citizen ought to help.
  2. (used to express the opinion that the action of the main verb is one of justice, moral rightness, or the like):He ought to be punished.
  3. (used to express the opinion that the action of the main verb is proper, correct, or appropriate for the situation):We ought to bring her some flowers.
  4. (used to express the opinion that the action of the main verb is probable, that it follows naturally from the circumstances, or that it is expected):That ought to be our train now.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
ought1  (ôt),USA pronunciation  auxiliary verb.
  1. (used to express duty or moral obligation):Every citizen ought to help.
  2. (used to express justice, moral rightness, or the like):He ought to be punished. You ought to be ashamed.
  3. (used to express propriety, appropriateness, etc.):You ought to be home early. We ought to bring her some flowers.
  4. (used to express probability or natural consequence):That ought to be our train now.

n. 
  1. duty or obligation.
  • Middle English ought, aught, Old English āhte, past tense of āgan to owe bef. 900
    1. See must 1.
    Ought1 forms its negative in a number of ways. Ought not occurs in all types of speech and writing and is fully standard:The conferees ought not to waste time on protocol.Oughtn't, largely a spoken form, is found mainly in the Midland and Southern dialects of the United States, where it is almost the universal form. Hadn't ought is a common spoken form in the Northern dialect area. It is sometimes condemned in usage guides and is uncommon in educated speech except of the most informal variety. Didn't ought and shouldn't ought are considered nonstandard.
    Both positive and negative forms of ought are almost always followed by the infinitive form:We ought to go now.You ought not to worry about it.Occasionally, to is omitted after the negative construction:Congress ought not adjourn without considering this bill.
ought2  (ôt),USA pronunciation n., adv. 
  1. aught1.

ought3  (ôt),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. aught2.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
ought /ɔːt/ vb (followed by to; takes an infinitive or implied infinitive)
  1. to indicate duty or obligation: you ought to pay your dues
  2. to express prudent expediency: you ought to be more careful with your money
  3. (usually with reference to future time) to express probability or expectation: you ought to finish this work by Friday
  4. to express a desire or wish on the part of the speaker: you ought to come next week
Etymology: Old English āhte, past tense of āgan to owe; related to Gothic aihtaUSAGE
ought /ɔːt/ pron , adv
  1. a variant spelling of aught1
ought /ɔːt/ n
  1. a less common word for nought
Etymology: 19th Century: mistaken division of a nought as an ought; see nought
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
aught1 /ɔt/USA pronunciation   n. 
    [uncountable]
  1. anything whatever;
    any part:For aught I know, it may be true.

aught2 /ɔt/USA pronunciation   n. [countable]
  1. zero (0).

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
aught1  (ôt),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. anything whatever;
    any part:for aught I know.

adv. 
  1. [Archaic.]in any degree;
    at all;
    in any respect.
Also, ought. 
  • Middle English aught, ought, Old English āht, āwiht, ōwiht, equivalent. to ā, ō ever + wiht thing, wight1 bef. 1000

aught2  (ôt),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. a cipher (0);
    zero.
Also, ought. 
  • a naught, taken as an aught (compare auger). See naught

aught3  (ôкнt),USA pronunciation v.t. [Scot.]
  1. to own;
    possess.
  2. to owe (someone or something);
    be obligated to.

adj. 
  1. possessed of.

n. 
  1. [Archaic.]
    • ownership;
      possession.
    • property;
      a possession.
  • bef. 1000; Middle English; Old English æht; cognate with Old High German ēht, Gothic aihts; akin to owe, own

aught4  (ôкнt),USA pronunciation adj. [Scot.]
  1. Scottish Termseight.
  2. Scottish Termseighth.
  • see eight Middle English aghte, aughte, variant of eighte

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
aught, ought /ɔːt/ archaic or literary pron (used with a negative or in conditional or interrogative sentences or clauses)
  1. anything at all; anything whatever (esp in the phrase for aught I know)
 adv
  1. dialect in any least part; to any degree
Etymology: Old English āwiht, from ā ever, ay1 + wiht thing; see wight1
aught, ought /ɔːt/ n
  1. a less common word for nought
'ought' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Collocations: ought to be [punished, banned, rewarded], ought to [see, go to, visit] a [doctor, dentist, therapist], ought to [win, help, stay, consider], more...

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "ought" in the title:

20-odd buckshot [20-ought]
a good many things are not as they ought to be
A guy who needs that much gun ought to use a pick
a specific, extra type of integrity...that you ought to do
A young man ought to be if he possibly can
about "ought to"
An owl still hooted. He knew he <ought to shoot it>
as everyone ought to do...
auxiliary+Ought to ?
both student and teacher ought to be back in class
bring his 'thirty ought' with him [aught]
by now we ought to be nesting together
convicted, because it is now held that it is logically improper to deduce ought from is
everyone <should/ought to> have an opportunity to hear
fingers ought to be pointed at the e-commerce giants
for Lady Bertram was convinced of very little more than that Sir Thomas thought Fanny ought to go, and therefore that she must.
For ought
for ought (aught) any body cares
had better or ought to
hadn't ought to either
"Hadn't you ought" vs "haven't you ought"
hats ought really to say
have ought to or ought to?
have to - should - ought to - must
have to / must / should / ought as applied to inanimate objects
have to/should/must/am to/ought to/will
he knew that a boy ought to love his father
He left ..., so he ought to be (to have been) there by now
he ought no more to carry us away than murder us
He ought to attend the meeting, _______ ?
more...

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