might
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
modal v.used with 'have' to talk about something that was possible in the past.
modal v.used with a perfect infinitive to express a past possibility that did not necessarily occur.
Simple“I might have left my umbrella on the bus this morning.”
In context“If the warning had been issued earlier, the residents might have had sufficient time to evacuate before the river burst its banks.”
Usagefollows the pattern 'might have' + past participle
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.great power, strength, or influence.
n.great power, capacity, or physical strength, especially when possessed by a nation or large organization.
Simple“The army showed its military might during the parade.”
In context“The small nation struggled to compete against the economic might of its much larger and more industrialised neighbours.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
n.using all your physical strength to do something.
n.physical force or energy applied to a task.
Simple“He pushed the heavy door with all his might until it finally opened.”
In context“She struck the anvil with all her might, the rhythmic clanging echoing through the small workshop as the iron began to glow.”
Usageoften found in the phrase 'with all one's might'
From Middle English myght, might (also maught, macht, maht), from Old English miht, mieht, meaht, mæht (“might, bodily strength, power, authority, ability, virtue, mighty work, miracle, angel”), from Proto-West Germanic mahti, from Proto-Germanic mahtiz, mahtuz (“might, power”), from Proto-Indo-European mógʰtis, megʰ- (“to allow, be able, help”), corresponding to Germanic maganą + *-þiz. Equivalent to may + -th. 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”), Norwegian makt (“power”), Icelandic máttur (“might”), Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌷𐍄𐍃 (mahts), and further to Russian мочь (močʹ, “power, might”) and мощь (moščʹ, “force, strength”), Ukrainian міч (mič) and міць (micʹ, “power”), Bulgarian мощ (mošt, “power, might”), Serbo-Croatian moć (“power”), Czech moc (“power”), Polish moc (“power”). See more at may.
From Old English meahte and mihte, inflections of magan, whence English may.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.