would

Etymology

From Old English wolde, past tense of willan.

verb

1. Past tense of will; usually followed by a bare infinitive.
   1. Used to form the "anterior future", or "future in the past", indicating a futurity relative to a past time.
      On my first day at University, I met the woman who would become my wife.
      That her Lily should have been won and not worn, had been, and would be, a trouble to her for ever. 1867, Anthony Trollope, chapter 28, in Last Chronicle of Barset
      Toure would have the decisive say though, rising high to power a header past Kenny from Aleksandar Kolarov's cross. November 5, 2011, Phil Dawkes, “QPR 2-3 Man City”, in BBC Sport
   2. Used to; was or were habitually accustomed to; indicating an action in the past that happened repeatedly or commonly.
      When we were younger, we would cycle out to the beach most summer Sundays.
      When we were kids we would sit by the radio with a tape recorder on a Sunday, listening out for the chart songs we wanted to have. 15 March 2009, “Soundtrack of my life”, in The Guardian
   3. Was or were determined to; indicating someone's insistence upon doing something.
      I asked her to stay in with me, but she would go out.
   4. Could naturally have been expected to (given the tendencies of someone's character etc.).
      Sorry, officer, I wouldn't know anything about the crime, since I was nowhere near the scene.
      The free access model, the media magnate said last week, was "malfunctioning". Well he would, wouldn't he? 10 May 2009, “Is the era of free news over?”, in The Observer
   5. (archaic) Wanted to.
      And thenne at laste a-nother sayd that he wolde have eyren. Then the good wyf sayd that she understod hym wel. 1490, William Caxton, Prologue to Eneydos
      The Greeks, especially those who would be thought adepts in mystic theology, ran after fantastic allegories […]. 1852, James Murdock, trans. Johann Lorenz Mosheim, Institutes of Ecclesiastical History, II.7.iii
   6. (archaic) Used with ellipsis of the infinitive verb, or postponement to a relative clause, in various senses.
      At which time he told me, he would to London that week, and so to Oxford. 1694, John Strype, Memorials of The Most Reverend Father in God, Thomas Cranmer, Appendix page 68
      He sat as one astonish'd, a good-while, looking at me, without speaking a Word, till I came quite up to him, kneel'd on one Knee to him, and almost whether he would or no, kiss'd his Hand[…]. 1724, Daniel Defoe, Roxana, Penguin, page 107
   7. (obsolete) Wished, desired (something).
2. A modal verb, the subjunctive of will; usually followed by a bare infinitive.
   1. Used as the auxiliary of the simple conditional modality, indicating a state or action that is conditional on another.
      If I won the lottery, I would give half the money to charity.
      If I could fly, I would away to those realms of light and warmth – far, far away in the southern clime[…]. 1846, “A New Sentimental Journey”, in Blackwoods Magazine, volume LX, number 372
      Warnock admitted it would be the ideal scenario if he received a Carling Cup winners' medal as well as an England call-up[…]. 26 February 2010, The Guardian
   2. Without explicit condition, or with loose or vague implied condition, indicating a hypothetical or imagined state or action.
      I would love to come and visit.
      Look at that yummy cake! I would eat that all up!
      It's a piece of old folklore for which I would love to find hard proof. 3 November 2008, Mark Cocker, “Country Diary”, in The Guardian
   3. Suggesting conditionality or potentiality in order to express a sense of politeness, tentativeness, indirectness, hesitancy, uncertainty, etc.
      I would ask you all to sit down.
      I would imagine that they have already left.
      “Those trials are being run by the American army so surely you must have access to the documents?” “Well, yeah, you’d think.” 2009, Nick Snow, The Rocket's Trail, page 112
      Departing on schedule with the help of a friendly doctor was quite usual. Does that still apply? It would seem so. 2 February 2010, Terry Pratchett, “My case for a euthanasia tribunal”, in The Guardian
   4. Used to express what the speaker would do in another person's situation, as a means of giving a suggestion or recommendation.
      It's disgraceful the way that they've treated you. I would write and complain.
   5. Used to express the speaker's belief or assumption.
      He's very security-conscious, so he would have remembered to lock the door.
      They would be arriving in London round about now.
   6. Used interrogatively to express a polite request; are (you) willing to …?
      Would you pass the salt, please?
   7. (chiefly archaic) Might wish (+ verb in past subjunctive); often used in the first person (with or without that) in the sense of "if only".
      But as the youth increased their annoyance by declaring that the goddess was quite right, because the Emperor was Archon Eponym of the city of Athens, he said: "Would that he also presided the Panathenaic festival." 1912, Philostratus, Life of Apollonius of Tyana, translated by F. C. Conybeare (Loeb Classical Library), 8.16
   8. (chiefly archaic, transitive or control verb) Might desire; wish (something).

noun

1. Something that would happen, or would be the case, under different circumstances; a potentiality.
   When the golf ball is there, the whole self-interference package — the hopes, worries, and fears; the thoughts on how-to and how-not-to; the woulds, the coulds, and the shoulds — is there too. 1996, Fred Shoemaker, Extraordinary Golf: The Art of the Possible, page 88
   Shushona you must learn to rightfully prioritize all the woulds, shoulds and coulds of your life. 2010, Shushona Novos, The Personal Universal: A Guidebook for Spiritual Evolution, page 395