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
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Dec. 2024
Two such examples in the last couple of days has suggested the U.S. should take back control of the Panama Canal and buy Greenland.
—Emily Martin, The Hill, 24 Dec. 2024
Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 24 Dec. 2024
From a content point of view, rights holders should leverage their existing catalog, and couple it with a proper short form video windowing strategy, as a first step into a short form video journey.
—Paul Pastor, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Dec. 2024
Rachel Burchfield, People.com, 18 Oct. 2024
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
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.
Send us feedback.
Noun
The wedding was the most glorious couple of days of filming.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Dec. 2024
Two such examples in the last couple of days has suggested the U.S. should take back control of the Panama Canal and buy Greenland.
—Emily Martin, The Hill, 24 Dec. 2024
Verb
This James Beard Award winner and America’s 50 Best destination is a worthy stop on any New Orleans cocktail crawl, coupling classic techniques with seasonal flavors.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 24 Dec. 2024
From a content point of view, rights holders should leverage their existing catalog, and couple it with a proper short form video windowing strategy, as a first step into a short form video journey.
—Paul Pastor, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Dec. 2024
Adjective
The visit is scheduled to take place from Friday, Oct. 18 to Saturday, Oct. 26 — and is a significant one for the couple
Comments
King Charles and Queen Camilla’s royal tour of Australia and Samoa kicked off on Friday, Oct. 18 and will run through Saturday, Oct. 26.
—Rachel Burchfield, People.com, 18 Oct. 2024
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
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 30 Dec. 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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