couch

[ kouch or, for 6, 14, kooch ]

/ kaʊtʃ or, for 6, 14, kutʃ /

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See synonyms for: couch / couched on Thesaurus.com

noun

a piece of furniture for seating from two to four people, typically in the form of a bench with a back, sometimes having an armrest at one or each end, and partly or wholly upholstered and often fitted with springs, tailored cushions, skirts, etc.; sofa.

a similar article of furniture, with a headrest at one end, on which some patients of psychiatrists or psychoanalysts lie while undergoing treatment.

a bed or other place of rest; a lounge; any place used for repose.

the lair of a wild beast.

Brewing. the frame on which barley is spread to be malted.

Papermaking. the board or felt blanket on which wet pulp is laid for drying into paper sheets.

Fine Arts. a primer coat or layer, as of paint.

verb (used with object)

to arrange or frame (words, a sentence, etc.); put into words; express: a simple request couched in respectful language.

to express indirectly or obscurely: the threat couched under his polite speech.

to lower or bend down, as the head.

to lower (a spear, lance, etc.) to a horizontal position, as for attack.

to put or lay down, as for rest or sleep; cause to lie down.

to lay or spread flat.

Papermaking. to transfer (a sheet of pulp) from the wire to the couch.

to embroider by couching.

Archaic. to hide; conceal.

verb (used without object)

to lie at rest or asleep; repose; recline.

to crouch; bend; stoop.

to lie in ambush or in hiding; lurk.

to lie in a heap for decomposition or fermentation, as leaves.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about couch

on the couch, Informal. undergoing psychiatric or psychoanalytic treatment.

Origin of couch

1300–50; (noun) Middle English couche<Anglo-French, Old French, derivative of coucher; (v.) Middle English couchen<Anglo-French, Old French coucher,Old French colcher<Latin collocāre to put into place, equivalent to col-col-¹ + locāre to put, place; see locate

OTHER WORDS FROM couch

well-couched, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use couch in a sentence

If your friend is planning to hibernate on the couch and watch their favorite shows, this will keep them company while you’re outside making snow angels.
The hottest gifts to buy for the friend who’s always cold|Sandra Gutierrez G.|November 20, 2020|Popular-Science
Someone said listening to him and Hellie do the game was like being in the room with two people watching on a couch.
Inside Aqib Talib’s ‘raw’ but ‘real’ NFL announcing debut|Les Carpenter|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
His absence was felt deeply as the cast, sitting on the familiar beige couches of the Banks’ living room, were brought to tears while watching a montage of Avery on screen.
‘I lost everything’: Janet Hubert confronts Will Smith about their falling out in the ‘Fresh Prince’ reunion|Helena Andrews-Dyer|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
I was surprised to find that this also improved my comprehension and understanding of the content, and I now watch all video content with subtitles, whether or not my husband is sitting next to me on the couch.
Top six reasons you should caption your social media video content|Molly Yurick|November 19, 2020|Search Engine Watch

In a motivational speech last year in which he discussed the benefits of that plan, Nikic said some of the obstacles he had to overcome were the facts that he loves “food, video games and my couch” and that “everything is harder for me to learn.”
Trailblazing triathlete isn’t letting Down syndrome prevent him from becoming an Ironman|Des Bieler|November 10, 2020|Washington Post
While those state proposals largely failed, new legislation has been couched in similar fears.
States Slap Pregnant Women With Harsher Jail Sentences|Emily Shire|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Far from a rant, her tone throughout is cool and methodical, and her critiques are couched more in sorrow than in anger.
Was Reporter Sharyl Attkisson Too Right-Wing for CBS?|Lloyd Grove|October 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As anybody who has read histories of the British in India or Africa, an imperial grab couched in such rhetoric is hardly news.
We're Still Fighting the Opium Wars|William O’Connor|August 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They once would have seemed full of attitude, couched in almost illegible forms.
Transmuting Lead into Thoughts|Blake Gopnik|June 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In his 35-minute address, Cruz pushed familiar Republican policy prescriptions but couched them in the concerns of Mother Teresa.
Ted Cruz Woos New York Republicans but Skips All Talk of 2016|David Freedlander|May 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It was a refusal couched in terms as little polite as they were equivocal.
Celebrated Travels and Travellers|Jules Verne
But he meets only with an offhand denial, couched in words of scant courtesy.
The Land of Fire|Mayne Reid
He accordingly took no notice of her letter, and received a second and a third couched in the strongest language of affection.
The Mysteries of Montreal|Charlotte Fuhrer
There was no limit to the extravagance of Unionist demands, most of them ultimatums couched in Kruger-like terms.
Thirty Years in Australia|Ada Cambridge
But all I could see was the form of my tall aunt couched half-moonwise in Elton Reeve's lap.
Tramping on Life|Harry Kemp

British Dictionary definitions for couch

couch

/ (kaʊtʃ) /

noun

a piece of upholstered furniture, usually having a back and armrests, for seating more than one person

a bed, esp one used in the daytime by the patients of a doctor or a psychoanalyst

a frame upon which barley is malted

a priming layer of paint or varnish, esp in a painting

papermaking

a board on which sheets of handmade paper are dried by pressing
a felt blanket onto which sheets of partly dried paper are transferred for further drying
a roll on a papermaking machine from which the wet web of paper on the wire is transferred to the next section

archaic the lair of a wild animal

verb

(tr) to express in a particular style of languagecouched in an archaic style

(when tr, usually reflexive or passive) to lie down or cause to lie down for or as for sleep

(intr) archaic to lie in ambush; lurk

(tr) to spread (barley) on a frame for malting

(intr) (of decomposing leaves) to lie in a heap or bed

(tr) to embroider or depict by couching

(tr) to lift (sheets of handmade paper) onto the board on which they will be dried

(tr) surgery to remove (a cataract) by downward displacement of the lens of the eye

(tr) archaic to lower (a lance) into a horizontal position

Derived forms of couch

coucher, noun

Word Origin for couch

C14: from Old French couche a bed, lair, from coucher to lay down, from Latin collocāre to arrange, from locāre to place; see locate

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

couch

Idioms about couch

Origin of couch

OTHER WORDS FROM couch

Words related to couch

How to use couch in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for couch

Derived forms of couch

Word Origin for couch