Definitions

1. verb

past tense of ‘can’ expressing inability or impossibility

“We couldn’t get the job because of our lack of experience.”

2. auxiliary verb

used in the past tense to express inability or possibility

“By then, we could hardly recognize the place.”

3. contraction

shortened form of ‘could not’ or ‘could have not’

“I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the news.”