couch potato

noun

1. Informal.,  a person whose leisure time is spent watching television.

couch potato

noun

1. slang,  a lazy person whose recreation consists chiefly of watching television and videos

Word History and Origins

Origin of couch potato¹

First recorded in 1980–85

When To Use

What does couch potato mean?

Couch potato is a slang term for a person who spends a lot of time sitting on the couch watching TV or otherwise lazily lounging and loafing around.Couch potato is often used in a mildly negative way to criticize a person for spending too much time doing this instead of doing more productive activities. But it can also be used in a more neutral way. For example, someone might say they like to relax by spending the weekend as a couch potato.Example: You kids should go outside and play once in a while instead of spending the whole summer watching TV and being couch potatoes!