intercouple

1 of 2

verb

in·​ter·​cou·​ple ˌin-tər-ˈkə-pəl How to pronounce intercouple (audio)
variants or less commonly inter-couple
intercoupled also inter-coupled; intercoupling also inter-coupling

transitive + intransitive

: to couple together
intercouples them so well that units can then be picked up as one entity and carried off without incident.Ronald A. Provenzale
The [railroad car] coupler will intercouple with all standard radial car couplers now in useTransit Journal

intercouple

2 of 2

adjective

variants or inter-couple
: occurring or existing between members of a couple or between two or more couples
Stage controversial scenes in the master bedroom with … inter-couple examinations of where it all went wrong.Raymond Gill
… the couples terrorise each other with their hilariously-mismatched social agendas. … We chart the inter-couple tensions, the petty snubs and snobberies.Maeve Quigley

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1902, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1973, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of intercouple was in 1902

Dictionary Entries Near intercouple

Cite this Entry

“Intercouple.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intercouple. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!