'd

See also Appendix:Variations of "d"

English

Etymology

• Contraction of (ha)d.
• Contraction of (woul)d

Verb

'd

1. Had (marking the pluperfect tense)
2. (some dialects) Had, possessed.
   • Polly Von - She'd her apron wrapped about her and he took her for a swan
3. would
   • I'd like to help, but I have no time.
4. (slang) Did.
   • Hey, where'd everybody go? Why'd they take off?

Related terms

• 's (third person)
• 've

Usage notes

• In most dialects, -'d is only used to mark the pluperfect tense ("I'd done something.", "I had done something."), and not to signify possession in the past ("I had something."). Some dialects, however, use -'d for both.

Suffix

'd

1. (archaic) traditional English past tense indicator, largely replaced by -ed.
   • Shakespeare - Hath thou mark'd the dawn of next?
2. (slang) Used to form the past tense of some numerals, letters, and abbreviations, especially in online communication. Compare 's.
   • Google Plus - You +1'd this.
   • I just lol'd but then stopped and realized this wasn't funny.