Definition and pronunciation
couple
Noun — two people or things considered together; often a romantic pair.
Determiner — a couple of + plural noun (“two,” sometimes “about two”).
Verb — to join or link; to pair romantically (couple up/off).
Pronounced /ˈkʌp·əl/.
Easy explanation
Couple usually means two or two people in a relationship. We also say a couple of to mean “two” (sometimes “about two”). As a verb, to couple means to connect or to pair up.
Part of speech and grammar
- Count noun: a couple; the couple; several couples.
- Number agreement: In US English, the couple is (unit); in UK/variety English, the couple are is common when focusing on the two people.
- Determiner: a couple of + plural (a couple of days, a couple of friends). In informal AmE you’ll hear couple things—standard writing keeps of.
- Verb forms: couple, coupled, coupling. Patterns: couple A to/with B (link), couple up/off (form pairs).
Register and tone
Neutral and common in everyday English. In news, couple as a romantic pair is standard; a couple of is casual-neutral.
Connection to sexuality
Indirect. Couple itself is not sexual, but it often refers to romantic partners who may be sexually involved. The related noun coupling can mean sexual union (as well as mechanical linking).
Common collocations
- Romantic: married couple, young couple, same-sex couple, celebrity couple, happy couple, power couple, cohabiting couple, couple’s therapy/retreat.
- Quantity: a couple of days/hours/blocks, a couple more, a couple hundred.
- Verbal: couple up, couple off, be coupled with, coupled to/with (analysis: “X, coupled with Y, led to Z”).
Idioms and set phrases
- odd couple — two very different people working together.
- power couple — prominent, successful pair.
- newlywed couple — just married.
- couple goals — social-media praise for an idealized relationship.
Prepositions and nuance
- a couple of + plural — quantity: a couple of tickets.
- couple with/to — link/combine: High heat, coupled with wind, caused delays.
- couple up/off — form pairs/exclude singles: People coupled up at the party.
- as a couple — jointly: They filed taxes as a couple.
Word comparisons
- couple vs two — two is exact; a couple (of) can be exact or loosely “about two” in casual talk.
- couple vs few/several — few ≈ 3–4; several ≈ 4–7; a couple ≈ 2.
- pair vs couple — pair is neutral for two of a kind (a pair of shoes); couple often implies a relationship.
- partners/spouses vs couple — partners/spouses name roles inside the couple.
Real-life examples
- A young couple opened a café on the corner.
- Give me a couple of minutes to print this.
- High demand, coupled with supply issues, pushed prices up.
- Most of our friends are couples now; the dinner was couples-only.
- They coupled the cars before the train departed.
Sample sentences
- The couple is/are moving to Chicago in May.
- We’ll need a couple of volunteers for cleanup.
- Stress, coupled with lack of sleep, hurt performance.
- Guests started coupling up on the dance floor.
- They enrolled in couples therapy to improve communication.
Synonyms
pair, duo, twosome, dyad, partners, spouses, significant others, sweethearts, pair off (verb), link, connect, join
Antonyms
individual, single, singleton, separate, detach, uncouple, split up, break up
Related terms
relationship, partner, spouse, significant other, coupledom, coupling, pair bond, cohabitation, domestic partnership, marriage, civil union
Notes and etiquette
- In careful writing, treat a couple of as two, not a few, unless the context is clearly casual.
- Keep of after couple in standard prose.
- Choose singular or plural verb agreement based on dialect and emphasis (unit vs individuals), and be consistent within a document.
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