couple
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cou·ple
(kŭp′əl)n.
1. Two items of the same kind; a pair.
2. Something that joins or connects two things together; a link.
3. (used with a sing. or pl. verb)
a. Two people united, as by betrothal or marriage.
b. Two people together.
4. Informal A few; several: a couple of days.
5. Physics A pair of forces of equal magnitude acting in parallel but opposite directions, capable of causing rotation but not translation.
v. cou·pled, cou·pling, cou·ples
v.tr.
1. To link together; connect: coupled her refusal with an explanation.
2. Electricity To link (two circuits or currents), as by magnetic induction.
3. Archaic To join together in marriage; marry.
v.intr.
1. To form pairs; join.
2. To unite sexually; have sexual intercourse.
3. To join chemically.
adj. Informal
Two or few: "Every couple years the urge strikes, to ... haul off to a new site" (Garrison Keillor).
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin cōpula, bond, pair.]
Usage Note: When used to refer to two people who function socially as a unit, as in a married couple, the word couple may take either a singular or a plural verb, depending on whether the members are considered individually or collectively: The couple were married last week. Only one couple was left on the dance floor. When a pronoun follows, they and their are more common than it and its: The couple decided to spend their (less commonly its) vacation in Florida. Using a singular verb and a plural pronoun, as in The couple wants their children to go to college, is widely considered to be incorrect. Care should be taken that the verb and pronoun agree in number: The couple want their children to go to college. · Although the phrase a couple of has been well established in English since before the Renaissance, modern critics have sometimes maintained that a couple of is too inexact to be appropriate in formal writing. But the inexactitude of a couple of may serve a useful purpose, suggesting that the writer is indifferent to the precise number of items involved. Thus the sentence She lives only a couple of miles away implies not only that the distance is short but that its exact measure is unimportant. This usage should be considered unobjectionable on all levels of style. · The of in the phrase a couple of is often dropped in speech, but this omission is usually considered a mistake. In 2013, 80 percent of the Usage Panel found the sentence A couple friends came over to watch the game to be unacceptable.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
couple
(ˈkʌpəl)n
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) chiefly hunting
a. a pair of collars joined by a leash, used to attach hounds to one another
b. two hounds joined in this way
c. the unit of reckoning for hounds in a pack: twenty and a half couple.
4. (General Physics) 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. (General Physics) physics
a. two dissimilar metals, alloys, or semiconductors in electrical contact, across which a voltage develops. See thermocouple
b. 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. (Building) a connector or link between two members, such as a tie connecting a pair of rafters in a roof
7. a couple of (functioning as singular or plural)
a. a combination of two; a pair of: a couple of men.
b. informal a small number of; a few: a couple of days.
pron
(usually preceded by a; functioning as singular or plural) two; a pair: give him a couple.
vb
8. (tr) to connect (two things) together or to connect (one thing) to (another): to couple railway carriages.
9. (tr) to do (two things) simultaneously or alternately: he couples studying with teaching.
10. to form or be formed into a pair or pairs
11. to associate, put, or connect together: history is coupled with sociology.
12. (Electronics) to link (two circuits) by electromagnetic induction
13. (Zoology) (intr) to have sexual intercourse
14. to join or be joined in marriage; marry
15. (Hunting) (tr) to attach (two hounds to each other)
[C13: from Old French: a pair, from Latin cōpula a bond; see copula]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
cou•ple
(ˈkʌp əl)n., v. -pled, -pling. n.
1. a combination of two of a kind; pair.
2. a grouping of two persons, as a married or engaged pair, lovers, or dance partners.
3. any two persons considered together.
4. a small number; few: We met a couple of times.
5. a pair of equal, parallel forces acting in opposite directions and tending to produce rotation.
6. something that joins two things together.
v.t. 7. to fasten or associate together in a pair or pairs.
8. to join; connect.
9. to unite in marriage or in sexual union.
10.
v.i. a. to join or associate by means of a coupler.
b. to bring (two electric circuits or circuit components) close enough to permit an exchange of electromagnetic energy.
11. to join in a pair; unite.
12. to copulate.
[1175–1225; Middle English < Anglo-French c(o)uple, Old French cople, cuple < Latin cōpula a tie, bond (see copula)]
cou′ple•a•ble, adj.
usage: The phrase a couple of has been standard for centuries, esp. in referring to distance, money, or time (Stay for a couple of days) and is used in all but the most formal speech and writing. The shortened 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. Without a following noun, the phrase is highly informal: Jack shouldn't drive. He's had a couple. (Here the noun drinks is omitted.) See also collective noun.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
couple
- Its underlying notion is of "joining," coming from Latin copula, "connection, tie."See also related terms for joining.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
pair
– couple1. 'a pair of'
A pair of things are two things of the same size and shape that are used together, such as shoes.
Someone has dropped a pair of gloves.
He bought a pair of hiking boots.
When you use a pair of like this, you can use either a singular or a plural form of a verb.
He wore a pair of shoes that were given to him by his mother.
A pair of shoes was stolen.
You also use a pair of to refer to something that has two main parts of the same size and shape, such as trousers, glasses, or scissors.
She has a new pair of glasses.
Do you have a pair of scissors I could use?
When you use a pair of like this, you use a singular form of a verb.
Who does this pair of jeans belong to?
A good pair of binoculars is essential for watching birds.
2. 'a couple of'
In conversation and informal writing, you can refer to two people or things as a couple of people or things.
I asked a couple of friends to help me.
We played a couple of games of tennis.
You use a plural form of a verb with a couple of.
A couple of guys were standing by the car.
On the table were a couple of mobile phones.
Be Careful!
Don't use 'a couple of' in formal writing.
3. referring to two people as a 'couple'
A couple consists of two people who have a romantic or sexual relationship, for example a husband and wife or boyfriend and girlfriend.
In Venice we met a South African couple.
Married couples will get tax benefits.
You usually use a plural form of a verb with couple.
A couple were sitting together on the bench.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
couple
Past participle: coupled
Gerund: coupling
| Imperative |
|---|
| couple |
| couple |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  couple - a pair who associate with one another; "the engaged couple"; "an inseparable twosome"pair - two people considered as a unit same-sex marriage - two people of the same sex who live together as a family; "the legal status of same-sex marriages has been hotly debated" |
| 2. |  couple - a pair of people who live together; "a married couple from Chicago"family unit, family - primary social group; parents and children; "he wanted to have a good job before starting a family" power couple - a couple both of whom have high-powered careers or are politically influential DINK - a couple who both have careers and no children (an acronym for dual income no kids) | |
| 3. | couple - a small indefinite number; "he's coming for a couple of days" small indefinite amount, small indefinite quantity - an indefinite quantity that is below average size or magnitude | |
| 4. |  couple - two items of the same kind fellow, mate - one of a pair; "he lost the mate to his shoe"; "one eye was blue but its fellow was brown" 2, II, two, deuce - the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number doubleton - (bridge) a pair of playing cards that are the only cards in their suit in the hand dealt to a player | |
| 5. | couple - (physics) something joined by two equal and opposite forces that act along parallel lines natural philosophy, physics - the science of matter and energy and their interactions; "his favorite subject was physics" dipole - a pair of equal and opposite electric charges or magnetic poles separated by a small distance building block, unit - a single undivided natural thing occurring in the composition of something else; "units of nucleic acids" moment of a couple - given two equal and opposite forces, the product of the force and the distance between them | |
| Verb | 1. | couple - bring two objects, ideas, or people together; "This fact is coupled to the other one"; "Matchmaker, can you match my daughter with a nice young man?"; "The student was paired with a partner for collaboration on the project" match - give or join in marriage mismate - provide with an unsuitable mate mismatch - match badly; match two objects or people that do not go together bring together, join - cause to become joined or linked; "join these two parts so that they fit together" |
| 2. | couple - link together; "can we couple these proposals?" attach - cause to be attached | |
| 3. | couple - form a pair or pairs; "The two old friends paired off" | |
| 4. | couple - engage in sexual intercourse; "Birds mate in the Spring" nick - mate successfully; of livestock do it, get it on, get laid, have a go at it, have intercourse, have it away, have it off, be intimate, lie with, roll in the hay, screw, sleep together, sleep with, hump, jazz, love, bed, bang, make out, know - have sexual intercourse with; "This student sleeps with everyone in her dorm"; "Adam knew Eve"; "Were you ever intimate with this man?" tread - mate with; "male birds tread the females" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
couple
noun
1. pair, two, brace, span (of horses or oxen), duo, twain (archaic), twosome There are a couple of police officers standing guard.
2. husband and wife, pair, item The couple have no children.
couple something to something link to, connect to, pair with, unite with, join to, hitch to, buckle to, clasp to, yoke to, conjoin to The engine is coupled to a semiautomatic gearbox.
couple something with something combine with, accompany by, mix with, join with, unite with, compound with, amalgamate with, incorporate with, link with Overuse of these drugs, coupled with poor diet, leads to physical degeneration.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
couple
noun1. Two items of the same kind together:
2. To bring or come together into a united whole:
3. To come or bring together in one's mind or imagination:
4. To engage in sexual relations with:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
párspojitdvojiceněkolik
parægteparforbindekoble sammennogle
duoparo
paripari, muutamapariskunta
par
par; hjóntengjatvennt af e-u; fáeinir
カップル二つ/二人くらい
둘의한 쌍
keletasrimuotas dvieilissukabinti
dažipārissakabinātsavienot pāros
parnekaj
par
คู่
cặp đôi
couple
[ˈkʌpl]A. N
B. VT
C. VI (Zool) → copularse
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
couple
[ˈkʌpəl] n
a couple of (= two) → deux
a couple of hours → deux heures (= a few) → deux ou trois
Could you wait a couple of minutes?
BUT Pourriez-vous attendre quelques minutes?.
a couple of hours → deux heures (= a few) → deux ou trois
Could you wait a couple of minutes?
BUT Pourriez-vous attendre quelques minutes?.
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
couple
n
(= pair) → Paar nt; (= married couple) → Ehepaar nt; courting couples → Liebespaare pl; in couples → paarweise ? happy a
(inf) a couple (= two) → zwei; (= several) → ein paar, einige; a couple of letters/friends etc, a couple letters/friends etc (US) → ein paar or einige Briefe/Freunde etc; we had a couple in the pub → wir haben in der Kneipe ein paar getrunken; a couple of times → ein paar Mal; it took a couple of minutes/hours → es hat einige or ein paar Minuten/ungefähr zwei Stunden gedauert
vt
(= link) names, circuit → verbinden; carriages etc → koppeln; smoking coupled with poor diet … → Rauchen in Verbindung mit schlechter Ernährung …
(= mate) animals → paaren
vi (= mate) → sich paaren
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
couple
[ˈkʌpl]1. n (of animals, people) → coppia
a couple of times/hours/books (two or three) → un paio di volte/ore/libri
a couple of times/hours/books (two or three) → un paio di volte/ore/libri
2. vt
a. (idea, name) to couple with → associare con
b. (railway carriages) to couple (on or up) → agganciare
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
couple
(ˈkapl) noun1. two; a few. Can I borrow a couple of chairs?; I knew a couple of people at the party, but not many.
2. a man and wife, or a boyfriend and girlfriend. a married couple; The young couple have a child.
verb to join together. The coaches were coupled (together), and the train set off.
ˈcouplet (-lit) noun two lines of verse, one following the other, which rhyme with each other.
ˈcoupling noun a link for joining things together. The railway carriage was damaged when the coupling broke.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
couple
→ بَعْض, زَوْجَان pár par ein paar, Paar δύο, ζευγάρι par, pareja pari, pari, muutama couple, deux ou trois par coppia, paio カップル, 二つ/二人くらい 둘의, 한 쌍 een paar, koppel par kilka, para alguns, casal, par пара par คู่ birkaç, çift cặp đôi 一对夫妇, 两个Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
couple
n parejaEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.