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 Web
Ryan J. Foley, Twin Cities, 16 Nov. 2024
While some changes to SALT such as raising the cap or doubling the deduction for married couples filing jointly are possible, eliminating the limit entirely isn’t likely because of the revenue loss: $1.2 trillion over 10 years, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
Typically the Resonance watches—which use twin escapements coupled by vibrations alone—use two identical dials side-by-side, but Mike’s uses a parking meter dial on the left side.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 21 Oct. 2024
Brendan Le, People.com, 26 Oct. 2024
Try to match each other's vibe, take it easy, and carve out ample amounts of couple time.
—Varuna Srinivasan, Allure, 10 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for couple 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
The couple were schoolteachers, local news reports say.
—Ryan J. Foley, Twin Cities, 16 Nov. 2024
While some changes to SALT such as raising the cap or doubling the deduction for married couples filing jointly are possible, eliminating the limit entirely isn’t likely because of the revenue loss: $1.2 trillion over 10 years, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
Verb
At the time, both the EU and the US were passive in the face of such shenanigans coupled the rankest disinformation.
—Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
Typically the Resonance watches—which use twin escapements coupled by vibrations alone—use two identical dials side-by-side, but Mike’s uses a parking meter dial on the left side.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 21 Oct. 2024
Adjective
The couple married in 2006 and share two daughters, Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret
Comments
Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman have been couple goals for nearly two decades.
—Brendan Le, People.com, 26 Oct. 2024
Try to match each other's vibe, take it easy, and carve out ample amounts of couple time.
—Varuna Srinivasan, Allure, 10 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for couple
Dictionary Entries Near couple
Cite this Entry
“Couple.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/couple. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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 adjectiveLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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