Might

Pronunciation

• enPR: mÄ«t, IPA: /maɪt/
• Homophones: mite
• Rhymes: -aɪt

From Middle English might, myghte, (also maught, macht, maht), from Old English miht, mieht, meaht, mæht ("might, bodily strength, power, authority, ability, virtue, mighty work, miracle, angel"), from Proto-Germanic *mahtiz, *mahtuz ("might, power"), from Proto-Indo-European *mógʰtis, *magʰ- ("to allow, be able, help"), corresponding to Germanic *maganą + *-þiz. Cognate with Scots micht, maucht ("might"), North Frisian macht ("might, ability"), West Frisian macht ("might, ability"), Dutch macht ("might, power"), German Macht ("power, might"), Swedish makt ("might"), Icelandic máttur ("might").

Full definition of might

Noun

1. (uncountable) Power, strength, force or influence held by a person or group.
2. (uncountable) Physical strength.He pushed with all his might, but still it would not move.
3. (uncountable) The ability to do something.

Adjective

1. (obsolete, chiefly before 1900) Mighty; powerful; possible.

From Old English meahte, from magan, whence English may.

Verb

1. (auxiliary) Used to indicate conditional or possible actions.
• 2013-06-07, David Simpson, Fantasy of navigation, It is tempting to speculate about the incentives or compulsions that might explain why anyone would take to the skies in the basket a balloon: perhaps out of a desire to escape the gravity of this world or to get a preview of the next; ….
2. I might go to the party, but I haven't decided yet.
3. (auxiliary)

   might

   (simple past of may)
   Used to indicate permission in past tense.
   He asked me if he might go to the party, but I haven't decided yet.
4. (auxiliary)

   might

   (simple past of may)
   Used to indicate possibility in past tense.
• 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, Mr. Pratt's Patients Chapter 1, I stumbled along through the young pines and huckleberry bushes. Pretty soon I struck into a sort of path that, I cal'lated, might lead to the road I was hunting for. It twisted and turned, and, the first thing I knew, made a sudden bend around a bunch of bayberry scrub and opened out into a big clear space like a lawn.
• 1963, Margery Allingham, The China Governess Chapter 19, Meanwhile Nanny Broome was recovering from her initial panic and seemed anxious to make up for any kudos she might have lost, by exerting her personality to the utmost. She took the policeman's helmet and placed it on a chair, and unfolded his tunic to shake it and fold it up again for him.
5. I thought that I might go the next day.

Conjugation

• archaic second-person singular simple past - mightest
• nonstandard, archaic third-person singular simple past - mighteth