Definition, Meaning & Synonyms
would-have
Phrase
/wʊd hæv/
Definition
A phrase used to indicate an action that could have occurred in the past but did not.
Examples
- If I had known about the meeting, I would have attended.
- She would have passed the exam if she had studied harder.
- They would have gone to the party, but it was canceled.
Meaning
The term ‘would-have’ is often used in conditional sentences to express a hypothetical situation about what someone would have done under certain circumstances that did not actually happen.
Synonyms
- might have
- could have
- should have
