noun[ C ]languagespecializeduk/ˈməʊ.dəl/us/ˈmoʊ.dəl/(also modal verb)
B1情态动词
a verb, such as "can", "might", and "must", that is used with another verb to express an idea such as possibility that is not expressed by the main verb of a sentence
The first verb in the following sentence is a modal: We ought to pay the gas bill.下面句子中的第一个动词是情态动词:We ought to pay the gas bill.