I.
archaic
past of owe
II. ˈȯt, usu -d.+V verbal auxiliary
Etymology: Middle English aghten, aughten, oughten to be obliged to, owe, from aghte, aughte, oughte possessed, owned, owed (past indicative & subjunctive of aghen, aughen, owen to possess, own, owe), from Old English āhte, 1st & 3rd person singular past indicative of āgan to possess, own, owe — more at owe
— used to express moral obligation, duty, or necessity
ought to follow the dictates of our conscience
ought to pay our debts
or what is correct, advisable, or expedient
you ought to take care of yourself
this suit ought to be pressed
or what is naturally expected or logically sound
ought to be able to understand this book
if our reasoning is correct, the result ought to be infinity
Synonyms:
ought , should , must , and have can all function as verbal auxiliaries meaning to be bound (to do or be or not do or be). have with got can be used interchangeably with some of these. ought and should are often interchangeable and imply the compulsion of obligation, ought more commonly suggesting duty or moral constraint, should applying more to the obligation of fitness, propriety, or expediency
it ought not to be very difficult — Nevil Shute
ought to fulfill our obligations
the stopper is small enough so that it ought to fit in the bottle
should not try to evade responsibilities
the car should be around at noon
should make the five o'clock train
must , though sometimes stressing extremely strong obligation, usually implies the compulsion of necessity, whether physical or moral
number three of my suggestions is that a new federal labor law must outlaw unfair bargaining practices — A.E.Stevenson b.1900
the employees must contribute 40 percent of the entire premium for all benefits provided under this plan — U.S. Code
again and again he went to performances of what must have been his favorite play — Time
to qualify for a college degree you must pass certain examinations
have and have got are interchangeable with must in meaning although have got occurs more frequently in spoken than literary English
to qualify for a college degree you have to pass certain examinations
the man I wished to see had to leave before I came
the speeder has got to pay a fine
we have got to come into court — the high court of public opinion — with clean hands — Newsweek
III. ˈäḵt transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English aghten, aughten, oughten
1. chiefly Scotland : owe
2. chiefly Scotland : possess
there's naebody but you and me that ought the name — R.L.Stevenson
IV. ˈȯt, usu -d.+V noun
( -s )
Etymology: ought (II)
: moral obligation : duty
the ethical ought voices or expresses … what would, upon reflection, be regarded as binding upon any normal person within a given social system — H.D.Aiken
— contrasted with is
V.
variant of aught