may
/meɪ/ verb A1- To be able to go.
- To have permission to, be allowed. Used in granting permission and in questions to make polite requests. · you may smoke outside· may I sit there?
- Expressing a present possibility; possibly. · he may be lying· Schrödinger's cat may or may not be in the box.
- Expressing a disjunctive or contrastive relation between indicative statements. · You may be my boss, but that doesn't mean you can insult me.
- Expressing a wish (with present subjunctive effect). · may you win; may the weather be sunny; long may your reign last
- Used in modesty, courtesy, or concession, or to soften a question or remark.
He/she/it may · Past might
Verb forms
- Base form
- may
- He/she/it
- may
- Past
- might
- Past participle
- mayed
- -ing form
- maying
An irregular verb: learn its past and past participle by heart.
From the library
Come, come,” continued he, patting Edmond’s shoulder kindly, “you did very right, Dantès, to follow Captain Leclere’s instructions, and touch at Elba, although if it were known that you had conveyed a packet to the marshal, and had conversed with the emperor, it might bring you into trouble.”
I may have been mistaken.”
“May I have the use of your skiff?”
Morrel; and so, you see, lest he might do you an injury——”
Other matches
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