ought

1 of 4

auxiliary verb

ˈȯt 

—used to express obligation,

ought to pay our debts

advisability,

ought to take care of yourself

natural expectation,

ought to be here by now

or logical consequence

the result ought to be infinity

ought

2 of 4

transitive verb

ˈȯ(ḵ)t 

1

chiefly Scotland : possess

2

chiefly Scotland : owe

ought

3 of 4

noun

ˈȯt 

: moral obligation : duty

ought

4 of 4

ˈȯt  ˈät 

archaic spelling of aught

Synonyms of ought

Auxiliary verb

• must
• should
• have (to)
• shall

Examples of ought in a Sentence

Auxiliary verb

you ought to buy him a new book to replace the one you lost

Recent Examples on the Web

Auxiliary verb

But forward-thinking boards ought to start looking at where a company is going—ask who’s ready to deal with technological change or a fast-growing diverse population—to find their next chair, rather than assume a former CEO is most qualified. —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

Word History

Etymology

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

Transitive 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

First Known Use

Auxiliary Verb

12th century, in the meaning defined above

Transitive Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1678, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ought

• aught
• baht
• blot
• bott
• bought
• brought
• caught
• clot
• cot
• cott
• dot
• fought

Kids Definition

ought

helping verb

ˈȯt

1

—used to express duty

we ought to pay our debts

2

—used to express what it would be wise to do

you ought to take care of yourself

3

—used to express what is naturally expected

they ought to be here by now

4

—used to express what is correct

the result ought to be zero