Meaning of woulda, coulda, shoulda | Babel Free

Definitions

An instance or moment of regret, hindsight, or futile pondering over a missed opportunity.

idiomatic, informal

Equivalents

Examples

“But there a lot of talented people right down there on the street, singing their shoulda-coulda-wouldas, now is that how you wanna end⟳ up?”

“And, Dr. Lovett, would I be correct⟳ in saying that your basic complaint is, if you will allow⟳ me to characterize it as a "woulda, coulda, shoulda" in terms of lost opportunities and it isn't a good deal⟳ and we are not smart doing it, but that you do not take⟳ a fundamental position that the U.S. sov- ereignty is cashed in under this agreement?”

“All the woulda-coulda-shouldas layin' in the sun, Talkin' 'bout the things they woulda-coulda-shoulda done... But those woulda-coulda-shouldas all ran away and hid, From one little did.”

“Woulda, coulda, shouldas can imprison a new mother and rob⟳ her of all joy and pride at becoming a mother.”

“Gopnik defines counterfactuals as "the woulda-coulda-shouldas of life, all the things that might happen⟳ in the future, but haven't yet, or that could have⟳ happened in the past, but didn't quite."”

CEFR level