would

modal verb (INTENTION)

strong /wʊd/ weak /wəd/ /əd/ (also 'd)

Definition

› used to refer to an intention from the point of view of the past: He said he would always love her . They promised that they would help. There was nobody left who would (= was willing to) do it. I asked him to move his car but he said he wouldn't (= he refused).

(Definition of would modal verb (INTENTION) from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)