couple

American  

[kuhp-uhl] / ˈkʌp əl /

noun

• couples
  plural

1. two of the same sort considered together; pair.

2. two persons considered as joined together, as a married or engaged pair, lovers, or dance partners.

   They make a handsome couple.

3. any two persons considered together.

4. Mechanics. a pair of equal, parallel forces acting in opposite directions and tending to produce rotation.

5. Also called couple-close.  Carpentry. a pair of rafters connected by a tie beam or collar beam.

6. a leash for holding two hounds together.

7. Fox Hunting. two hounds.

   25 hounds or 12½ couple.

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verb (used with object)

• couples,
  present (3rd person singular)
• coupled,
  past participle,  past
• coupling
  present participle

1. to fasten, link, or associate together in a pair or pairs.

2. to join; connect.

3. to unite in marriage or in sexual union.

4. Electricity.

   1. to join or associate by means of a coupler.

   2. to bring (two electric circuits or circuit components) close enough to permit an exchange of electromagnetic energy.

verb (used without object)

• couples,
  present (3rd person singular)
• coupled,
  past participle,  past
• coupling
  present participle

1. to join in a pair; unite.

2. to copulate.

idioms

1. a couple of, more than two, but not many, of; a small number of; a few: Also a couple.

   It will take a couple of days for the package to get there.

   A dinner party, whether for a couple of old friends or eight new acquaintances, takes nearly the same amount of effort.

couple British  

/ ˈkʌpəl /

noun

1. two people who regularly associate with each other or live together

   an engaged couple

2. (functioning as singular or plural) two people considered as a pair, for or as if for dancing, games, etc

3. hunting

   1. a pair of collars joined by a leash, used to attach hounds to one another

   2. two hounds joined in this way

   3. the unit of reckoning for hounds in a pack

      twenty and a half couple

4. a pair of equal and opposite parallel forces that have a tendency to produce rotation with a torque or turning moment equal to the product of either force and the perpendicular distance between them

5. physics

   1. two dissimilar metals, alloys, or semiconductors in electrical contact, across which a voltage develops See thermocouple

   2. Also called: galvanic couple.  two dissimilar metals or alloys in electrical contact that when immersed in an electrolyte act as the electrodes of an electrolytic cell

6. a connector or link between two members, such as a tie connecting a pair of rafters in a roof

7. (functioning as singular or plural)

   1. a combination of two; a pair of

      a couple of men

   2. informal a small number of; a few

      a couple of days

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pronoun

1. (usually preceded by a; functioning as singular or plural) two; a pair

   give him a couple

verb

1. (tr) to connect (two things) together or to connect (one thing) to (another)

   to couple railway carriages

2. (tr) to do (two things) simultaneously or alternately

   he couples studying with teaching

3. to form or be formed into a pair or pairs

4. to associate, put, or connect together

   history is coupled with sociology

5. to link (two circuits) by electromagnetic induction

6. (intr) to have sexual intercourse

7. to join or be joined in marriage; marry

8. (tr) to attach (two hounds to each other)

Grammar

The phrase a couple of, meaning “a small number of; a few; several,” has been in standard use for centuries, especially with measurements of time and distance and in referring to amounts of money: They walked a couple of miles in silence. Repairs will probably cost a couple of hundred dollars. The phrase is used in all but the most formal speech and writing. The shortened phrase a couple, without of ( The gas station is a couple miles from here ), is an Americanism of recent development that occurs chiefly in informal speech or representations of speech, especially when followed by number terms (as a couple dozen eggs ) or units of measurement (as a couple years ago; a couple gallons of gas ). This use of couple (as an adjective or modifier) is still disliked by many. Without a following noun, a couple is even more informal: Jack shouldn't drive. It's clear he's had a couple. (Here the noun drinks is omitted.) In referring to two people, couple, like many collective nouns, may take either a singular or a plural verb. Most commonly, it is construed as a plural: The couple were traveling to Texas. See also collective noun.

Synonym Usage

See pair ¹

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• coupleable
  adjective
• intercouple
  adjective
• well-coupled
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• couples
  plural

Participles

• coupling
  present
• coupled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• couple
  simple
• couples
  simple
• have coupled
  perfect
• has coupled
  perfect
• am coupling
  progressive
• are coupling
  progressive
• is coupling
  progressive
• have been coupling
  perfect progressive
• has been coupling
  perfect progressive

Past

• coupled
  simple
• had coupled
  perfect
• was coupling
  progressive
• were coupling
  progressive
• had been coupling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will couple
  simple
• will have coupled
  perfect
• will be coupling
  progressive
• will have been coupling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of couple

First recorded in 1175–1225; (noun) Middle English, from Anglo-French c(o)uple, Old French cople, cuple, from Latin cōpula “a tie, bond” ( see copula); (verb) Middle English couplen, from Anglo-French co(u)pler, Old French copler, cupler, from Latin copulāre ( see copulate)

Explanation

If you are hanging out with a couple of friends, you are hanging out with two friends. A couple is a pair or a twosome. As a verb, couple means "to pair or match." As a noun, couple means "a pair." If two people are dating, you can refer to them as "a couple." Similarly, two people who are married can be called a "married couple." Two guys playing basketball can be called "a couple of guys playing basketball." As a verb, couple means "to pair or combine," as people on a dance floor might couple or form pairs when the music starts. You can also couple two ideas by combining them.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

couple couples coupled coupling

At the Sunday reception, the couple had their first dance, with Bettina Trump wearing her wedding dress, and ate a five-tier wedding cake topped with a miniature bride and groom.

From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026

After Dragonflies’ Hollywood Forever shows, Godrich and Harrison have dates scheduled in Europe for November and hope to play more in the future, depending on when Godrich finishes a couple of records he’s producing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

That is a large number considering that the S&P 500 is only down a couple percentage points from its all-time high.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

National demand is expected to remain high the next couple of days, then moderate before dropping off toward the end of next week, according to NatGasWeather.com.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Nate’s ridiculous word has been wriggling around in my head ever since he said it a couple of weeks ago.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Your concerns about the relationship, including your crush, can be explored in couples therapy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

Beth Pinsker dug into three factors that couples must consider when planning for retirement if they have an age gap.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

Then, I met two different couples, senior citizens from the West Coast, on a recent cross-country flight.

From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026

Both have done so willingly, but not obliviously to the financial and other strains that couples have put on them and other guests.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

They took a number of Gottman’s couples videos and showed them to nonexperts—only this time, they provided the raters with a little help.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Acid testing of the child's teeth, a technique developed by the universities of Durham and Bristol, coupled with DNA analysis concluded the child was most likely male, the inquest heard.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

If tech bros are saying that AI might someday break containment and take down civilization, that sounds like an accountability sink coupled with an investor pitch.

From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2026

This time around, rising oil prices and bond yields, coupled with growing worries about AI, have been largely to blame, Gibbens said.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

Foreign trade data is also due, which DBS expects to show a wide goods trade deficit at $30 billion, reflecting an improvement in exports coupled with a rising energy import bill.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

The ongoing hypoxia, coupled with my profound fatigue, exacerbated the sense of chaos and despair.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

“Asmodeus” is a bewildering incantation about the coupling of poetry and squalor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

Until this series, the opening coupling had always seen the men choose first.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

That mutual struggle is something they can both understand, and it’s an integral part of why their coupling works.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026

Their coupling instantly captured the attention and hearts of fans around the world, and Swift’s presence at Chiefs games was even credited with bolstering female interest in NFL football.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026

Harry only stopped staring at this unlikely coupling when he walked right into a suit of armor.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

Related Words

• set
• team