couch

1 of 2

verb

couched; couching; couches

transitive verb

1
: to lay (oneself) down for rest or sleep
The lion couched himself by a tree.
2
: to embroider (a design) by laying down a thread and fastening it with small stitches at regular intervals
3
: to place or hold level and pointed forward ready for use
Couching his lance, he seated himself firmly in his saddle …W. Somerset Maugham
4
: to phrase or express in a specified manner
The comments were couched in strong terms.

intransitive verb

1
: to lie down or recline for sleep or rest
the odd way a camel couches
2
: to lie in ambush
The tiger couches in the thick grass, watching its prey move closer.

couch

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: an article of furniture for sitting or reclining
b
: a couch on which a patient reclines when undergoing psychoanalysis
2
: the den of an animal (such as an otter)
Phrases
on the couch
: receiving psychoanalytic treatment

Examples of couch in a Sentence

Verb I'm trying to couch this delicately: I don't think we should date anymore. I couched behind the partition so as to avoid an awkward situation with my ex. Noun find yourself a place on the couch and make yourself at home
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Fennell is wise to couch the story in the trappings of a British class drama, albeit a contemporary one. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2023 Brahim goes and brings Hector in from his grazing and couches him. Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Jan. 2024 Only 11 engaged in debate or argument and thus reflected any interest in responding to my findings—albeit in responses couched in insults. Allyn Walker, Scientific American, 15 Jan. 2024 Miami couched it as Shula retiring, but that wasn’t the case. Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 1 Feb. 2024 Before Iowa stuck a fork in Meatball Ron, a vote for DeSantis could be couched as a principled vote to oust Trump. Christian Schneider, National Review, 18 Jan. 2024 Ian had learned the answer in law school: a sweeping and uniquely American legal doctrine, often couched in terms of justice for victims’ families, called felony murder. Sarah Stillman, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2023 Of course, there’s no way to declare that the Doctor shouldn’t be Black that isn’t out-and-out racist, and so many of these comments are couched in attacks on the producers for wokeness or virtue signaling. Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2023 But the humor is embedded in a far darker tale that, couched in the frame of a kids’ investigative adventure, opens out onto the hidden terrors of the monsters from the Upside Down. David Benedict, Variety, 14 Dec. 2023
Noun
Stephen led Banas and me to the family room, where Peggy lay on the couch. Phoebe Zerwick, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024 Also on the premises are a soundproof movie theater with velour couches and a master suite equipped with a curved bedroom, dual bespoke closets, dual bathrooms and its own private lounge. Jmcclain, Robb Report, 11 Mar. 2024 Real officers break down a door, barking orders at a man asleep on a couch. Jake Offenhartz, Quartz, 8 Mar. 2024 The two girls were sharing a pull-out couch in Meyden’s basement while his daughter and the girl who only drank one smoothie slept in an adjacent bedroom, according to the affidavit. Sean Neumann, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024 Chitty told deputies that a young girl at his church had been drinking and passed out on a couch in the library of the church. Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 7 Mar. 2024 Part of horror’s endurance at the box office has been attributed to the unique experience of seeing something scary in a theater with a group, which is hard to replicate on the couch. Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024 Volkanovski came off the couch to face UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in a rematch at UFC 294. Trent Reinsmith, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Kids run around, launching themselves onto big couches in the entry foyer that doubles up as the common room. Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'couch.' 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

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French cucher, from Latin collocare to set in place — more at collocate

Noun

Middle English couche bed, from Anglo-French kuche, from cucher

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of couch was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near couch

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

couch

1 of 2 verb
1
: to lie down for rest or sleep
2
: to bring down : lower
a knight charging with couched lance
3
: to phrase in a specified manner
a letter couched in polite terms

couch

2 of 2 noun
: a piece of furniture (as a sofa) that one can sit or lie on

Medical Definition

couch

1 of 2 transitive verb
: to treat (a cataract or a person who has a cataract) by displacing the lens of the eye into the vitreous body

couch

2 of 2 noun
: an article of furniture used (as by a patient undergoing psychoanalysis) for sitting or reclining

More from Merriam-Webster on couch

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