double modal

noun

A sequence of two modal verbs, such as "might could", an impossible construction in standard English, but one used in some dialects, especially Southern US English.

Similar
stacked modal
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Meanings

noundouble modal (plural double modals)

plural double modals

  1. grammarA sequence of two modal verbs, such as "might could", an impossible construction in standard English, but one used in some dialects, especially Southern US English.

    The first instances of double modals date back to the seventeenth century.

    2019, Irina S. Lebedeva, Svetlana N. Orlova, “Semantics and pragmatics of the double modal ‘might could’”, in Training, Language and Culture, volume 3, number 2, →DOI

    Synonyms: stacked modal

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA sequence of two modal verbs, such as "might could", an impossible construction in standard English, but one used in some dialects, especially Southern US English.

Similar
stacked modal
Cite this entry
APA

double modal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/double%20modal

MLA

“double modal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/double%20modal. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “double modal,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/double%20modal.

Source: double modal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.