couplet

noun

cou·​plet ˈkə-plət 

1

: two successive lines of verse forming a unit marked usually by rhythmic correspondence, rhyme, or the inclusion of a self-contained utterance : distich

She ended her poem with a rhyming couplet.

2

: couple

Synonyms of couplet

• pair
• couple
• duo
• twain

Examples of couplet in a Sentence

a poem made up of six couplets

a couplet of statues flank the entrance to the church

Recent Examples on the Web

But where these scores are alternately jazzy and extraterrestrial, his latest solo album—a follow-up to 2023’s Wendy—is planted firmly here on earth, miniature tableaux of costume dramas and tomato sandwiches rendered in pithy pop couplets. —Linnie Greene, Pitchfork, 21 Jan. 2026

And so Andrea had just sort of like collected a couple of pages of couplets, a few stanzas. —Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 11 Jan. 2026

The song and album aren’t always as piercing as the couplet, but brevity allows Showbiz! —Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025

Her rooster crowed in rhyming couplets and used some naughty words to describe the master’s digestive system. —Perin Gürel, The Conversation, 19 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French, diminutive of Old French cuple, couple — see couple entry 1

First Known Use

1580, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing couplet

• closed couplet
• heroic couplet

Kids Definition

couplet

noun

cou·​plet ˈkəp-lət 

: two lines of verse that follow in order and form a unit

especially : two rhyming lines of the same length