should

verb

1. (form-of, past)simple past of shall

   “I told him that I should be busy tomorrow.”

   “I was astonished at this polite offer, which my modesty induced me to ascribe more to my uniform than to my own merits, and, as I felt no inclination to refuse the compliment, I said that I should be most happy.”

2. (auxiliary, defective, modal, no-past, no-present-participle, participle, past)Ought to; indicating opinion, advice, or instruction, about what is required or desirable.

   “You should never drink and drive.”

   “The law is clear that you should always wear a seat belt.”

   “The manual says that this switch should be in the 'off' position.”

3. (auxiliary, defective, modal, no-past, no-present-participle, participle, past)Ought to; indicating opinion, advice, or instruction, about what is required or desirable.

   “You should go and see that film. I think you'll enjoy it.”

   “Should we go and see the police, do you think?”

   “She should not have been so rude.”

4. (auxiliary, defective, informal, modal, no-past, no-present-participle, participle, past)Ought to; indicating opinion, advice, or instruction, about what is required or desirable.

   “You should see his new apartment. It's like a palace!”

   “If you think her piano playing is bad, you should hear her sing!”

5. (auxiliary, defective, modal, no-past, no-present-participle, participle, past)Ought to; indicating opinion, advice, or instruction, about what is required or desirable.

   “What do you think? What should I do?”

   “Next month, Clemons will be brought before a court presided over by a "special master", who will review the case one last time. The hearing will be unprecedented in its remit, but at its core will be a simple issue: should Reggie Clemons live or die?”

6. (auxiliary, defective, modal, no-past, no-present-participle, participle, past)Ought to; expressing expectation.

   “They should have finished by now; I'll call them to check.”

   “My fruit trees should be in flower, but the cold spring has set them back.”

7. (auxiliary, defective, modal, no-past, no-present-participle, participle, past)Ought to; expressing expectation.

   “They should have it finished by Friday.”

   “When you press this button, the pilot flame should ignite.”

   “You should be warm enough with that coat.”

   “We’re spending the winter in Ibiza. ~ That should be nice.”

8. (auxiliary, defective, modal, no-past, no-present-participle, participle, past, subjunctive)Used to form a variant of the present subjunctive, expressing a state or action that is hypothetical, potential, mandated, etc.

   “If I should be late, I should hope that you are prepared to go on without me.”

   “Should you need extra blankets, you will find them in the closet.”

   “It's his proposal that there (should) not be several dozen units.”

   “I regret that it should have happened, but I was really shocked that he should say that.”

   “'One kiss, my bonny sweetheart, I'm after a prize to-night, / But I shall be back with the yellow gold before the morning light; / Yet, if they press me sharply, and harry me through the day, / Then look for me by moonlight, / Watch for me by moonlight, / I'll come to thee by moonlight, though Hell should bar the way.'”

9. (auxiliary, defective, formal, literary, modal, no-past, no-present-participle, participle, past)An alternative to would with first person subjects.

   “If I had not been so tired, I should have laughed heartily.”

   “"If our friends, the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman, were only with us," said the Lion, "I should be quite happy."”

   “"Your Silver Shoes will carry you over the desert," replied Glinda. "If you had known their power you could have gone back to your Aunt Em the very first day you came to this country." "But then I should not have had my wonderful brains!" cried the Scarecrow. "I might have passed my whole life in the farmer's cornfield."”

   “"Good God! I don't want another accident here. I should go dotty if I had to face all that again."”

10. (auxiliary, defective, modal, no-past, no-present-participle, participle, past)An alternative to would with first person subjects.

    “I should imagine that they have arrived by now.”

    “I should think you would apologize.”

    “I should be very grateful to receive your prompt reply. (formal or old-fashioned)”

    “We should very much like to meet her. (formal or old-fashioned)”

    “It didn’t turn out as we intended it should.”

11. (auxiliary, defective, modal, no-past, no-present-participle, participle, past)An alternative to would with first person subjects.

    “It's disgraceful the way that they've treated you. I should write and complain.”

    “As this happens to be Saturday it gives you a day's grace. I should go round and see the chiefs to-morrow. Tell them all about it and what I have said.”

12. (auxiliary, defective, modal)To suggest (that someone ought to do something, or that something ought to be the case) by, or as if by, using the word should.

    “I'd prefer that she stop shoulding me. I prefer that I stop shoulding me. I prefer that I stop shoulding her.”

    “[…] for her to be kind to herself and less susceptible to others shoulding her.”

noun

1. (auxiliary, defective, modal)Something that ought to be the case as opposed to already being the case.

   “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.”

   “However, we can address maladaptive shoulds by examining the differences between prior events, causes, proximate causes, and moral responsibility.”

   “Being a list-o-maniac, I suggested we make a list of the "shoulds" and "shouldn'ts." So in the darkness of hazy sleep, I began to mentally prepare mine. The first item on the "should" side was easy: a sibling for our 3-year-old daughter.”