couple

1 of 3

noun

cou·​ple ˈkə-pəl How to pronounce couple (audio)
 "couple of" is often  ˌkə-plə(v)
1
a
: two persons married, engaged, or otherwise romantically paired
b
: two persons paired together
The people were lined up in couples.
2
: pair, brace
needed a couple of bookends
3
: something that joins or links two things together: such as
a
: two equal and opposite forces that act along parallel lines
b
: a pair of substances that in contact with an electrolyte (see electrolyte sense 1) participate in a transfer of electrons which causes an electric current to flow
4
: an indefinite small number : few
a couple of days ago
coupledom noun

couple

2 of 3

verb

cou·​ple ˈkə-pəl How to pronounce couple (audio)
coupled; coupling ˈkə-p(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce couple (audio)

transitive verb

1
a
: to connect for consideration together
b
: to join for combined effect
2
a
: to fasten together : link
b
: to bring (two electric circuits) into such close proximity as to permit mutual influence
3
: to join in marriage or sexual union

intransitive verb

1
: to unite in sexual union
2
: join
3
: to unite chemically

couple

3 of 3

adjective

: two
also : few
used with a
a couple drinks
Is couple an adjective?: Usage Guide

The adjective use of a couple, without of, has been called nonstandard, but it is not. In both British and American English it is standard before a word (such as more or less) indicating degree.

a couple more examples of Middle English writing Charles Barber

Its use before an ordinary plural noun is an Americanism, common in speech and in writing that is not meant to be formal or elevated.

the first couple chapters are pretty good E. B. White (letter)
still operated a couple wagons for hire Garrison Keillor

It is most frequently used with periods of time

a couple weeks

and numbers.

a couple hundred
a couple dozen

Examples of couple in a Sentence

Noun “Are they a couple?” “No, they are just good friends.” Seventeen couples participated in the survey. Verb a device that makes it possible to couple the pieces The coils are loosely coupled. The wire is coupled to the terminal. It took an hour to couple the trailer to the truck.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The couple juggle caring for their small children with putting on the show and documenting the whole effort, while assistant director Oosterveen and an ensemble of professional and aspiring actors fill out the cast of Hamlet. Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024 The couple took refuge in a nearby restaurant until the police arrived on the scene. Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 10 Mar. 2024 According to the district attorney, the couple took two trips to Las Vegas and a trip to Myrtle Beach together. Gabriella Demirdjian, CBS News, 10 Mar. 2024 The couple visited the city for the SXSW Conference, where Meghan was a panelist with Brooke Shields, Katie Couric, author/sociologist Nancy Wang Yuen and moderator Errin Haines. Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024 But close inspection reveals a home that is frayed at the edges, like the couple that inhabits it. Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024 Young women may have comprised a slight majority, but males were well-represented and there were even a few families and older couples in the audience. Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 9 Mar. 2024 Luckily, the couple was able to squeeze in some time together outside of Swift's concert schedule. Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 9 Mar. 2024 According to a criminal complaint, Routt was inside the tavern for about 30 minutes playing a video gaming machine before pulling out a gun and ordering the married couple and third person not to move. Drew Dawson, Journal Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2024
Verb
In contrast, sonar is great for sensing in wet environments, but the signal can lose efficiency if the system is not coupled well enough to the ice. IEEE Spectrum, 4 Mar. 2024 Most of that was an unintended function of coupling ’90s topics with era-appropriate sonics. Tom Roland, Billboard, 21 Feb. 2024 Washington has adopted what amounts to a good cop-bad cop approach in its public statements, coupling each assertion of Israel’s right to eliminate the threat from Hamas with increasingly defensive expressions of concerns about the deaths of civilians and the humanitarian disaster in Gaza. Karen Deyoung, Washington Post, 8 Dec. 2023 Increasingly, fleet managers can couple these efforts with powerful predictive analytics built into a platform that can anticipate future trends, like vehicle maintenance schedules, route optimization and fuel consumption forecasting. Amit Jain, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Analysts expect the Kremlin to try to couple his surefire electoral victory with fresh gains on the front in Ukraine, where Russian forces have been taking the initiative against a Ukrainian Army struggling amid dwindling Western support. Anton Troianovski, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2024 The Macintosh coupled them in an attractive case that looked good on desks at home. George Petras, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2024 Promiscuous coupled queers, especially gay men, are rarely seen as polyamorous and are perhaps less likely to identify as such; non‑monogamy from gay men is viewed as natural, or at least natural to gay culture, dispensing with the need for a separate moniker. TIME, 9 Feb. 2024 Republicans favor coupling tax cuts and spending cuts, in opposition to a plan some Democrats support that would increase corporate taxes and income taxes for the state’s wealthiest residents. Katie Shepherd, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2024
Adjective
In the realm of celebrities, nobody is doing couple style quite like them. Christian Allaire, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2024 Matt Damon and Luciana Barroso took couple goals to the next level at New York Fashion Week! Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 12 Feb. 2024 The utility also agreed to finance a new community center in the community of a couple hundred residents, establish a fund to rehabilitate Randolph homes, provide additional scholarship money for residents and provide other benefits. The Arizona Republic, 26 Jan. 2024 Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office alleges the couple misappropriated funds from multiple entities, including social welfare nonprofits and campaign committees. Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press, 3 Jan. 2024 The two cofounders take turns working out of each other’s garages every couple weeks as a break from going into the San Francisco office. Kylie Robison, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2024 Matthew Tkachuk’s production is starting to match his effort level: The Panthers were never really worried about Tkachuk’s low point total through the first couple months of the season. Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 29 Jan. 2024 Gomez’s hosting night with boyfriend Blanco comes after the pair — whose romance was confirmed in December 2023 — made their couple debut at the 2024 Golden Globes last Sunday. Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 14 Jan. 2024 These trips couple eco-friendly travel accommodations with kid-friendly nature experiences. Melissa Klurman, Parents, 1 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'couple.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun, Verb, and Adjective

Middle English, pair, bond, from Anglo-French cuple, from Latin copula bond, from co- + apere to fasten — more at apt

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Adjective

1924, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of couple was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near couple

Cite this Entry

“Couple.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/couple. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

couple

1 of 3 noun
cou·​ple ˈkəp-əl How to pronounce couple (audio)
1
: two persons romantically paired or associated together (as by marriage or on a date)
2
: two persons or things paired together
3
: an indefinite small number : few
a couple of days ago

couple

2 of 3 verb
coupled; coupling
ˈkəp-(ə-)liŋ
1
: to join together : connect
2
: to join in pairs
coupler
-p(ə-)lər
noun

couple

3 of 3 adjective
: two sense 1
also : several entry 1 sense 2
a couple days ago

More from Merriam-Webster on couple

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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