Examples of ought in a Sentence
Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 3 Feb. 2023
Executives and other representatives, like celebrity endorsers, ought to tread carefully, experts say, and so should investors.
—Ashley Cullins, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Feb. 2023
Some even claim that the AI app ought to repeatedly warn you.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2023
They’ll be assigned the job of recommending what major construction projects the city ought to embark on during a 10-year period, beginning in 2025.
—Barbara Henry, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Jan. 2023
This is not to excuse the blue states, which ought to match their higher minimum wages with more generous tipping.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 26 Jan. 2023
Again and again, law enforcement overlooked major transgressions that ought to have stopped Couzens and Carrick in their tracks.
—Holly Thomas, CNN, 20 Jan. 2023
All those models share a commitment to fun, an attitude that driving ought to be a good time.
—Car and Driver, 17 Jan. 2023
Greg Loughlin, owner of Saddle Up Saloon, said during Tuesday’s Mobile City Council meeting that city officials ought to consider rolling back the entertainment district’s closing time from midnight to 9 p.m.
—al, 13 Jan. 2023
Eric Asimov, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2023
Those who find monetary success in life ought to use their position to serve others, said West.
—Ryan Anderson, Arkansas Online, 17 Jan. 2023
Chris Thomas, an adviser to Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey, said Tuesday's election ought to be a vastly different experience.
—Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press, 8 Nov. 2022
Tesla’s board ought to be monitoring the length and intensity of the Tesla employees’ deployment to Twitter, said Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a professor at the Yale School of Management.
—Alexa Corse, WSJ, 3 Nov. 2022
Zhu said there ought to be efforts to re-examine how borrowers are qualified for mortgages, accepting a variety of tax documents to create more access for Latinos to buy homes.
—Dallas News, 12 Oct. 2022
If the Department of Justice established a violation of the consent decree, unwinding the merger ought to be on the table.
—August Brown, Anchorage Daily News, 25 Jan. 2023
Democrats and sane Republicans ought to be putting this conversation to bed.
—Allison Hope, CNN, 25 Jan. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ought.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Auxiliary verb
Middle English aghten, aughten, oughten "to be obliged to, owe," from construal as an independent verb of aghte, aughte, oughte "possessed, owned, owed," past indicative & subjunctive of aghen, aughen, owen "to possess, own, owe," going back to Old English āhte, 1st & 3rd person singular past indicative of āgan "to possess, own" — more at owe
Verb
early Scots aucht "to own, owe, be incumbent on," past tense used as present of aw "to own, be under an obligation, owe," going back to Old English āgan "to possess, own" — more at owe
Noun
derivative of ought entry 1
Auxiliary Verb
12th century, in the meaning defined above
Verb
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun
1678, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near ought
Cite this Entry
“Ought.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ought. Accessed 4 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
ought
helping verb
More from Merriam-Webster on ought
Nglish: Translation of ought for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of ought for Arabic Speakers
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