plural couples
1
: two people who are married or who have a romantic or sexual relationship
a happily married couple
"Are they a couple?" "No, they are just good friends."
Seventeen couples participated in the survey.
The romance had gone out of their relationship, so they signed up for couples therapy. [=therapy in which a psychologist helps couples solve problems with their relationships]
2
: two people or things that are together : pair
—usually used in the phrase in couples
The people were lined up in couples.
couples; coupled; coupling
Cite this Entry
“Couple.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/couple. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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