How to Use ought in a Sentence

ought

1 of 2 auxiliary verb
Definition of oughtnext
Synonyms for oughtnext
  • Oven mitts ought to be sources of style points, like this set from West Elm.
    — Mark Stock, Men's Health, 1 Nov. 2022
  • For that reason alone, Neilon ought to be Pac-12 lineman of the week.
    — oregonlive, 25 Sep. 2022
  • Anyone itching to have some fun ought to dress the part.
    — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, 19 Apr. 2022
  • The wry thriller really ought to be in the running this time.
    — Matthew Gilbert, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Jan. 2023
  • This is the story that ought to be told, because this is the story that’s true.
    — Alex McElroy, ELLE, 16 Feb. 2022
  • And from time to time, the array ought to be a refreshed with a new title or two.
    — Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 2 Dec. 2022
  • And the balance on that police overreach ought to come due.
    — John Archibald | Jarchibald@al.com, al, 6 Dec. 2022
  • That seems to be something that everybody ought to be able to agree to.
    — Fortune Editors, Fortune, 15 June 2022
  • In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies.
    — Jackie Frere, Woman's Day, 14 Apr. 2022
  • The answer is that the U.K. ought to be boasting the developed world’s brightest prospects right now rather than the worst.
    — Joseph C. Sternberg, WSJ, 16 June 2022
  • This, but the state ought offer an online portal where lost your w2.
    — Laura Johnston, cleveland, 20 Oct. 2022
  • Kishida said the Russian invasion of Ukraine ought to be a wake-up call for the region.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 11 June 2022
  • The phrase suggests that a spouse ought to be a foil, a point of contrast, neither a mirror nor a servant.
    — Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt, The Atlantic, 25 Apr. 2022
  • But the magnitude of the blunders this week ought to sully the airline’s image.
    — Sandy Bankscolumnist, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2022
  • And if nothing else, even selfish pricks ought to be able to see that good schools increase the value of their homes.
    — Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 11 July 2022
  • But the weakness of the West, and especially of the United States, lies in what ought to be the biggest strength of its case against Putin: the idea of war crimes.
    — Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 11 May 2022
  • Thanks to them, what ought to have been glaring red flags blended into the background.
    — Holly Thomas, CNN, 20 Jan. 2023
  • The grief essay is, or perhaps ought to be, a genre unto itself.
    — Susan Coll, Washington Post, 5 July 2022
  • Where are the – which are the charges that the former president ought to really be concerned about?
    — NBC News, 3 July 2022
  • At the very least, the dealership ought to replace every single one of your friend’s wheel bolts.
    — Ray Magliozzi, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2022
  • Hermès-grade leather ought to be reason enough to purchase his watch.
    — Yvette Jordan, Town & Country, 17 July 2022
  • As with the short rib sandwich at Joy by Seven Reasons, the bistro’s rich smash burger ought to be dropped off with gloves.
    — Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 16 Dec. 2022
  • As Darlene Love once sang, nobody ought to be alone at Christmas, but many are.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Dec. 2022
  • Keynes was right that the economic problem ought by now to be solved, or within sight of being solved.
    — Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 12 Sep. 2022
  • Still, knowing what the INB would like to see happen ought to shed some light on what the final agreement will contain.
    — Karen Kaplanscience and Medicine Editor dec. 20, Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2022
  • The point seems to be that all other styles or approaches of AI ought to bow down to the sub-symbolics approach and toss in the towel.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes, 19 May 2022
  • If there’s an electric car in your future, maybe there ought to be an EV charger in your driveway.
    — Hiawatha Bray, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Sep. 2022
  • If there’s a prize for most original fragrance packaging, House of Oud ought to be in the running.
    — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, 19 Apr. 2022
  • The one and only response a mature person ought to have in these scenarios?
    — Andy Meek, BGR, 12 Feb. 2022
  • Don't let your ideas about how things ought to be overshadow what is actually in front of you.
    — Chicago Tribune, 18 June 2022
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ought

2 of 2 verb
  • Maybe there ought to be a system that stops the crises.
    — Laura Johnston, cleveland, 8 Dec. 2022
  • In the wake of the tragedy, the city ought to reassess the issue of vacant homes, the union leaders said.
    — Christine Condon, baltimoresun.com, 30 Jan. 2022
  • Oven mitts ought to be sources of style points, like this set from West Elm.
    — Mark Stock, Men's Health, 1 Nov. 2022
  • For that reason alone, Neilon ought to be Pac-12 lineman of the week.
    — oregonlive, 25 Sep. 2022
  • His top-10 in the state ought to mean something to get him into state.
    — Kyle Neddenriep, The Indianapolis Star, 27 May 2022
  • The wry thriller really ought to be in the running this time.
    — Matthew Gilbert, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Jan. 2023
  • This is the story that ought to be told, because this is the story that’s true.
    — Alex McElroy, ELLE, 16 Feb. 2022
  • That’s what the president ought to do now to repair the damage.
    — Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2022
  • Given the breadth of his talents, celebrities and their stylists ought to take note.
    — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, 22 Feb. 2022
  • Someone ought to shoot a film of it, just to discredit the Noblest Form of Death once and for all.
    — Michael F. Bishop, WSJ, 25 Mar. 2022
  • What remains unclear, though, is the lesson that ought to be drawn from it.
    — Sam Sacks, WSJ, 26 May 2022
  • The answer is that the U.K. ought to be boasting the developed world’s brightest prospects right now rather than the worst.
    — Joseph C. Sternberg, WSJ, 16 June 2022
  • This, but the state ought offer an online portal where lost your w2.
    — Laura Johnston, cleveland, 20 Oct. 2022
  • Kishida said the Russian invasion of Ukraine ought to be a wake-up call for the region.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 11 June 2022
  • The phrase suggests that a spouse ought to be a foil, a point of contrast, neither a mirror nor a servant.
    — Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt, The Atlantic, 25 Apr. 2022
  • And precisely where a Supreme Court justice ought to be.
    — CNN, 25 Feb. 2022
  • And if nothing else, even selfish pricks ought to be able to see that good schools increase the value of their homes.
    — Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 11 July 2022
  • But the weakness of the West, and especially of the United States, lies in what ought to be the biggest strength of its case against Putin: the idea of war crimes.
    — Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 11 May 2022
  • The grief essay is, or perhaps ought to be, a genre unto itself.
    — Susan Coll, Washington Post, 5 July 2022
  • Where are the – which are the charges that the former president ought to really be concerned about?
    — NBC News, 3 July 2022
  • At the very least, the dealership ought to replace every single one of your friend’s wheel bolts.
    — Ray Magliozzi, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2022
  • Hermès-grade leather ought to be reason enough to purchase his watch.
    — Yvette Jordan, Town & Country, 17 July 2022
  • The San Francisco 49ers aren’t the only ones who ought to be giving thanks for Robbie Gould.
    — Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2022
  • Keynes was right that the economic problem ought by now to be solved, or within sight of being solved.
    — Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 12 Sep. 2022
  • Encountering the same problems a second time ought not to be.
    — Wired, 11 Aug. 2022
  • If there’s an electric car in your future, maybe there ought to be an EV charger in your driveway.
    — Hiawatha Bray, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Sep. 2022
  • Does anybody in his right mind really believe that the United States ought to play that role?
    — Charles Austin Beard, Harper’s Magazine , 22 June 2022
  • The one and only response a mature person ought to have in these scenarios?
    — Andy Meek, BGR, 12 Feb. 2022
  • The trial resumes Tuesday, and the jurors ought to get comfortable.
    — CBS News, 9 Oct. 2022
  • The trick is figuring out exactly how much each woman ought to be screened.
    — Angus Chen, STAT, 30 June 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ought.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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