should've

English

Etymology

should +‎ -'ve

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈʃʊdəv/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʊdəv

Contraction

should've

1. Contraction of should have.

   He should've arrived earlier.

   • 2008, Wally Lamb, The Hour I First Believed, Ch.5, at p.113:

     Mo said should-haves weren't going to do Lolly or me any good.

Usage notes

Like other similarly formed contractions, speakers only use should've to replace the modal sense of should have, i.e. where have precedes a past participle: You should've gone. They do not use it to replace should followed by the verb have used lexically, e.g. “You should've some patience.” See also gonna.

Synonyms

• shoulda

Related terms

• shouldn't've (negative form)