1
a
: two persons married, engaged, or otherwise romantically paired
b
: two persons paired together
The people were lined up in couples.
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
coupled; coupling
ˈkə-p(ə-)liŋ 
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
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
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)
E. B. White (letter)
still operated a couple wagons for hire
—Garrison Keillor
Garrison Keillor
It is most frequently used with periods of time
a couple weeks
and numbers.
a couple hundred
a couple dozen
Synonyms
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 WebJon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 2024
On Tuesday, Harville shot her husband several times in the body and head at the couple's home on Millville Oxford Road, according to a criminal complaint.
—Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 3 Apr. 2024
The couple's first daughter together, Esmeralda Amada, was born on Sept. 12, 2014.
—Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
Actor and model Cara Delevingne and photographer Sebastián Faena were among the couple’s guests and were featured in the images.
—Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
The couple set out from Washington, D.C., after Thanksgiving in 2023 in an RV to visit national parks, and by the end of March, the couple was in Texas.
—Luis Giraldo, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2024
So Russia’s gas exports to Europe have fallen sharply because of the tensions over Ukraine over the last couple of years.
—Stephen Cass, IEEE Spectrum, 3 Apr. 2024
Or a fashion-loving couple who wants something cool and retro?
—Vogue, 2 Apr. 2024
The nine people left stranded included an American couple, elderly passengers, a pregnant woman and an 80-year-old who had been left behind after requiring hospital treatment, reports UK newspaper the Metro.
—Owen Bellwood / Jalopnik, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024
Carrie Honaker, Southern Living, 1 Apr. 2024
Most rotating generators and machines are physically coupled to the grid’s electromagnetic oscillations.
—IEEE Spectrum, 14 Feb. 2024
Batteries coming as backup for windless, cloudy days Utilities across the state are gearing up for new projects that will couple lithium-ion battery storage systems with solar energy parks and other developments.
—Journal Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2024
Hero shots of EVs traveling at slow-poke speeds won’t set the world alight, but marketers might instead hope that coupling drones with cars will soon allow eye-in-the-sky monitoring of traffic snafus, although aviation authorities worldwide would no doubt take their sweet time to sanction such use.
—Carlton Reid, WIRED, 18 Mar. 2024
This housing offered individuals a lower cost option for rental housing than available from private builders, and often coupled housing with social and health services.
—Roger Valdez, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
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
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
Noun
The band has spent much of the past couple years on the road in support of the two LPs.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 2024
On Tuesday, Harville shot her husband several times in the body and head at the couple's home on Millville Oxford Road, according to a criminal complaint.
—Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 3 Apr. 2024
The couple's first daughter together, Esmeralda Amada, was born on Sept. 12, 2014.
—Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
Actor and model Cara Delevingne and photographer Sebastián Faena were among the couple’s guests and were featured in the images.
—Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
The couple set out from Washington, D.C., after Thanksgiving in 2023 in an RV to visit national parks, and by the end of March, the couple was in Texas.
—Luis Giraldo, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2024
So Russia’s gas exports to Europe have fallen sharply because of the tensions over Ukraine over the last couple of years.
—Stephen Cass, IEEE Spectrum, 3 Apr. 2024
Or a fashion-loving couple who wants something cool and retro?
—Vogue, 2 Apr. 2024
The nine people left stranded included an American couple, elderly passengers, a pregnant woman and an 80-year-old who had been left behind after requiring hospital treatment, reports UK newspaper the Metro.
—Owen Bellwood / Jalopnik, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024
Verb
Others can double their versatility by coupling gas and charcoal capability like the Char-Griller Double Play Gas & Charcoal Grill.
—Carrie Honaker, Southern Living, 1 Apr. 2024
Most rotating generators and machines are physically coupled to the grid’s electromagnetic oscillations.
—IEEE Spectrum, 14 Feb. 2024
Batteries coming as backup for windless, cloudy days Utilities across the state are gearing up for new projects that will couple lithium-ion battery storage systems with solar energy parks and other developments.
—Journal Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2024
Hero shots of EVs traveling at slow-poke speeds won’t set the world alight, but marketers might instead hope that coupling drones with cars will soon allow eye-in-the-sky monitoring of traffic snafus, although aviation authorities worldwide would no doubt take their sweet time to sanction such use.
—Carlton Reid, WIRED, 18 Mar. 2024
This housing offered individuals a lower cost option for rental housing than available from private builders, and often coupled housing with social and health services.
—Roger Valdez, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
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
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
Phrases Containing couple
Dictionary Entries Near couple
Cite this Entry
“Couple.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/couple. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
couple
2 of 3 verb
coupled; coupling
ˈkəp-(ə-)liŋ
1
: to join together : connect
2
: to join in pairs
coupler
noun
-p(ə-)lər
couple
3 of 3 adjective
More from Merriam-Webster on couple
Nglish: Translation of couple for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of couple for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about couple
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share