Meaning & use
couple
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Meanings
nouncountable
Two people who are married, dating, or in a close romantic relationship.
Grammar: Countable: a couple, two couples. Takes a plural verb when the two people are thought of separately: The couple are arguing.
Patterns
- a couple
- the couple
- a couple of people
The couple next door invited us to dinner.
They became a couple after meeting at university.
The couple were married in a small ceremony.
nouncountable
Two things of the same kind that are together or connected.
Grammar: Countable: a couple of keys, two couples of dancers. Often followed by of: a couple of eggs.
Patterns
- a couple of something
- in couples
I bought a couple of apples at the market.
There were a couple of empty seats at the back.
The socks are sold in couples.
nounsingularinformal
A small number of people or things, not necessarily exactly two.
Grammar: Informal. Used with of: a couple of minutes. The verb can be singular or plural: A couple of people was/were waiting.
Patterns
- a couple of something
I'll be ready in a couple of minutes.
She's been to Paris a couple of times.
We need a couple more chairs.
verbtransitivetechnical
To join or link two things together, especially in a mechanical or technical way.
Grammar: Takes an object: couple the trailer to the car. Often used with to or with.
Patterns
- couple something to something
- couple something with something
The engineer coupled the two pipes together.
They coupled the new software with existing systems.
The carriages were coupled to each other.
Word forms
| plural | couples |
|---|---|
| third person singular | couples |
| past tense | coupled |
| past participle | coupled |
| -ing form | coupling |
Common combinations
- a couple of
- I need a couple of days to think about it.
- married couple
- The married couple celebrated their anniversary.
- young couple
- A young couple moved into the house.
- couple together
- The mechanic coupled the wires together.
- in a couple of
- She'll be back in a couple of hours.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pair
- Used for two things that match or go together, but not usually for two people in a romantic relationship.
- partners
- Focuses on the two people as a team; 'couple' is more about the romantic or marital bond.
- few
- Means a small number, like 'a couple of' informally, but 'few' can suggest a negative tone (few opportunities).
Word family
- coupling noun
- A device or act that joins two things.
- coupled adjective
- Joined or linked together.
Commonly confused: couple or couple (verb) / couple (noun)?
couple vs couple (verb) / couple (noun)
The noun is about two people or things; the verb means to join. Context makes the meaning clear.
Practice
They are a lovely ______; they've been together for ten years.
Choose one answer.
'Couple' is the usual word for two people in a romantic relationship. 'Pair' is for matching objects, 'coupling' is a technical join, and 'double' means twice as much.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “couple”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.