auxiliary verb: Meaning and Definition of

auxil'iary verb'

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. a word used in construction with and preceding certain forms of other verbs, as infinitives or participles, to express distinctions of tense, aspect, mood, etc., as did in Did you go?, am in I am listening, have in We have spoken, or can in They can see. Also called
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.