shouldn't

verb, noun — 2 senses

shouldn't

verb

AU, US, UK /ˈʃʊdənt/ · UK /ˈʃɵdənt/

Etymology From should + -n't.

1

Should not (negative auxiliary)

I shouldn't be telling you all this. It'll make you angry.1989 February 5, Colin Robinson, “You Dared Us To Dream That We Are Worth Wanting Each Other”, in Gay Community News, volume 16, number 29, page 8:

Derived terms: shouldn't've
Coordinate terms: can't, couldn't, mayn't, mightn't, oughtn't, shan't, won't, wouldn't

shouldn't

noun

Etymology From should + -n't.

1

Informal Something that should not be done.

Being a list-o-maniac, I suggested we make a list of the "shoulds" and "shouldn'ts." So in the darkness of hazy sleep, I began to mentally prepare mine. The first item on the "should" side was easy: a sibling for our 3-year-old daughter.2008, Working Mother, volume 31, number 8, page 20:

Related terms: couldn't, wouldn't, oughtn't

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.