English · Word Candidate

should

/ʃəd/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: shoulds · shoulding · shoulded

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Ought to; indicating opinion, advice, or instruction, about what is required or desirable. — Used to issue an instruction (traditionally seen as carrying less force of authority than alternatives such as 'shall' or 'must').

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

nên; chỉ ra ý kiến, lời khuyên hoặc chỉ dẫn

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Verb

Examples

You should never drink and drive.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Ought to; indicating opinion, advice, or instruction, about what is required or desirable. — Used to give advice or opinion that an action is, or would have been, beneficial or desirable.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

nên; chỉ ra ý kiến, lời khuyên hoặc chỉ dẫn

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Verb

Examples

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

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

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.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

gợi ý ai đó nên làm gì

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Verb

Examples

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

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 4

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Something that ought to be the case as opposed to already being the case.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

một điều nên xảy ra

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Noun

Examples

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.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “should” mean?

Is “should” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.