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.

---

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

---

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

A couple who tried to rescue a mother and daughter who drowned have called for more life-saving equipment on the beach where they died.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

The couple booked a hotel to get to the event early and secure the best possible view, even though they didn't have tickets.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

“From his words, the hitting, the running, as he has done the last couple nights, doesn’t affect him,” Roberts said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

A couple of laps in the eager and edgy 420 Sport made me realize how long it had been since I actually had fun—that’s the word!—in a sports car.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

A sideboard under a row of windows held cups and saucers and a couple of enamel pots full of coffee and tea.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Gomez-Cardona also recommends that couples stress-test their retirement plans for widowhood.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

She says the changes won't take anything from those who still want traditional weddings – it simply gives couples who don't more options.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

On ICYMI, host Kate Lindsay and Slate tech editor Tony Ho Tran break down the digital do’s and don’ts for couples, and argue that the thing that ruined dating might actually be making relationships better.

From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026

Some couples are putting off having children, the mayor says.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

Two couples stepped off the floor just as it was time for them to square up with Karl and Perilee.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

On this year's show, Lorenzo Alessi was reluctant to make Julia Majchrzak a morning coffee, something many contestants see as an act of care for the person they're coupled up with.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

“The small issuance size coupled with demand from real-money investors should prevent a weak outcome,” the senior Japan rates strategist adds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

That, coupled with the recent bounce, could suggest that a low may have already been seen.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

England coupled an impressive scramble defence with the attacking threat of Feyi-Waboso, who repeatedly punched holes in attack.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

There was a nervous feeling in the air as kids coupled up around them, tiny smiles and eyes darting to the ground.

From "Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World" by Ashley Herring Blake

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

The idea would be to launch several rockets, one carrying crew or cargo, and the others carrying tanks of liquid oxygen and liquid methane that would be offloaded through coupling.

From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026

The crossings also remain gapless even when spin-orbit coupling is taken into account.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 5, 2026

He has me sit down and uses an Allen wrench to loosen the top coupling.

From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen

Related Words

• set
• team