ought

Definition

  • noun: moral obligation
  • archaic variant of 'aught'
  • used to indicate what is expected
  • synonyms: possess, owe, duty

Examples

  • It 'ought not' ('to') make any difference. [=(more commonly) it shouldn't make any difference]

  • Children 'ought not' [='should not'] run near the pool.

  • If my math is correct, the result 'ought to' be zero.

Movie quotes

  • (..) serious elbow grease. Yeah. Oh, my God. What are we gonna do with all this stuff? Well, we probably ought to go through it, you know? There might be some antiques down here worth a lot. Yeah, or just a lot of junk the previous owner didn't want. (..)
    2013 The Conjuring