couple
two of the same sort considered together; pair.
two persons considered as joined together, as a married or engaged pair, lovers, or dance partners: They make a handsome couple.
any two persons considered together.
Mechanics. a pair of equal, parallel forces acting in opposite directions and tending to produce rotation.
Also called couple-close. Carpentry. a pair of rafters connected by a tie beam or collar beam.
a leash for holding two hounds together.
Fox Hunting. two hounds: 25 hounds or 12½ couple.
to fasten, link, or associate together in a pair or pairs.
to join; connect.
to unite in marriage or in sexual union.
Electricity.
to join or associate by means of a coupler.
to bring (two electric circuits or circuit components) close enough to permit an exchange of electromagnetic energy.
to join in a pair; unite.
to copulate.
Idioms about couple
a couple of, more than two, but not many, of; a small number of; a few: 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.: Also Informal, a couple.
Origin of couple
1synonym study For couple
Grammar notes for couple
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.
Other words from couple
- cou·ple·a·ble, adjective
- in·ter·cou·ple, adjective
- well-coupled, adjective
Words that may be confused with couple
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use couple in a sentence
However much we gossip about heterosexual couples with large age gaps, we at least refrain from calling them sex offenders.
Freaking Out About Age Gaps in Gay Relationships Is Homophobic | Samantha Allen | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTIn other words, Florida clerks were no longer allowed to turn gay couples away.
The Back Alley, Low Blow-Ridden Fight to Stop Gay Marriage in Florida Is Finally Over | Jay Michaelson | January 5, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTDance instructors run a lucrative trade offering private lessons to couples before their wedding receptions, typically the tango.
Iran’s Becoming a Footloose Nation as Dance Lessons Spread | IranWire | January 2, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTIf couples can seem smug and self-enclosed, the married single represents an even more irritating manifestation of that.
Why Singles Should Say ‘I Don’t’ to The Self-Marriage Movement | Tim Teeman | December 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTOver the next six months hundreds of same-sex couples married.
The Real Story Behind the Fight for Marriage Equality | E.J. Graff | December 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Cabs containing couples rolled by, disappeared towards north and south, disappeared into the darkness.
Bella Donna | Robert HichensThe same fact is illustrated in the countenances of aged couples, especially in country places.
When we visited the place there were only a pair of these fortunate beings, and their number rarely exceeds three couples.
A Woman's Journey Round the World | Ida PfeifferThe new books wandered in a year after the rest of the world had forgotten them, and rarely in couples.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonLet one receive the guests, another arrange the sets, a third introduce couples, and a fourth pair off the talkers.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness | Florence Hartley
British Dictionary definitions for couple
/ (ˈkʌpəl) /
two people who regularly associate with each other or live together: an engaged couple
(functioning as singular or plural) two people considered as a pair, for or as if for dancing, games, etc
mainly hunting
a pair of collars joined by a leash, used to attach hounds to one another
two hounds joined in this way
the unit of reckoning for hounds in a pack: twenty and a half couple
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
physics
two dissimilar metals, alloys, or semiconductors in electrical contact, across which a voltage develops: See thermocouple
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
a connector or link between two members, such as a tie connecting a pair of rafters in a roof
a couple of (functioning as singular or plural)
a combination of two; a pair of: a couple of men
informal a small number of; a few: a couple of days
(usually preceded by a; functioning as singular or plural) two; a pair: give him a couple
(tr) to connect (two things) together or to connect (one thing) to (another): to couple railway carriages
(tr) to do (two things) simultaneously or alternately: he couples studying with teaching
to form or be formed into a pair or pairs
to associate, put, or connect together: history is coupled with sociology
to link (two circuits) by electromagnetic induction
(intr) to have sexual intercourse
to join or be joined in marriage; marry
(tr) to attach (two hounds to each other)
Origin of couple
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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