couple

cou·ple

C0695400 (kŭp′əl)n.1. Two items of the same kind; a pair.2. Something that joins or connects two things together; a link.3. (used with a sing. or pl. verb)a. Two people united, as by betrothal or marriage.b. Two people together.4. Informal A few; several: a couple of days.5. Physics A pair of forces of equal magnitude acting in parallel but opposite directions, capable of causing rotation but not translation.v. cou·pled, cou·pling, cou·ples v.tr.1. To link together; connect: coupled her refusal with an explanation.2. Electricity To link (two circuits or currents), as by magnetic induction.3. Archaic To join together in marriage; marry.v.intr.1. To form pairs; join.2. To unite sexually; have sexual intercourse.3. To join chemically.adj. Informal Two or few: "Every couple years the urge strikes, to ... haul off to a new site" (Garrison Keillor).

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin cōpula, bond, pair.]Usage Note: When used to refer to two people who function socially as a unit, as in a married couple, the word couple may take either a singular or a plural verb, depending on whether the members are considered individually or collectively: The couple were married last week. Only one couple was left on the dance floor. When a pronoun follows, they and their are more common than it and its: The couple decided to spend their (less commonly its) vacation in Florida. Using a singular verb and a plural pronoun, as in The couple wants their children to go to college, is widely considered to be incorrect. Care should be taken that the verb and pronoun agree in number: The couple want their children to go to college. · Although the phrase a couple of has been well established in English since before the Renaissance, modern critics have sometimes maintained that a couple of is too inexact to be appropriate in formal writing. But the inexactitude of a couple of may serve a useful purpose, suggesting that the writer is indifferent to the precise number of items involved. Thus the sentence She lives only a couple of miles away implies not only that the distance is short but that its exact measure is unimportant. This usage should be considered unobjectionable on all levels of style. · The of in the phrase a couple of is often dropped in speech, but this omission is usually considered a mistake. In 2013, 80 percent of the Usage Panel found the sentence A couple friends came over to watch the game to be unacceptable.

couple

(ˈkʌpəl) n1. two people who regularly associate with each other or live together: an engaged couple. 2. (functioning as singular or plural) two people considered as a pair, for or as if for dancing, games, etc3. (Hunting) chiefly hunting a. a pair of collars joined by a leash, used to attach hounds to one anotherb. two hounds joined in this wayc. the unit of reckoning for hounds in a pack: twenty and a half couple. 4. (General Physics) a pair of equal and opposite parallel forces that have a tendency to produce rotation with a torque or turning moment equal to the product of either force and the perpendicular distance between them5. (General Physics) physics a. two dissimilar metals, alloys, or semiconductors in electrical contact, across which a voltage develops. See thermocoupleb. Also called: galvanic couple two dissimilar metals or alloys in electrical contact that when immersed in an electrolyte act as the electrodes of an electrolytic cell6. (Building) a connector or link between two members, such as a tie connecting a pair of rafters in a roof7. a couple of (functioning as singular or plural) a. a combination of two; a pair of: a couple of men. b. informal a small number of; a few: a couple of days. pron (usually preceded by a; functioning as singular or plural) two; a pair: give him a couple. vb8. (tr) to connect (two things) together or to connect (one thing) to (another): to couple railway carriages. 9. (tr) to do (two things) simultaneously or alternately: he couples studying with teaching. 10. to form or be formed into a pair or pairs11. to associate, put, or connect together: history is coupled with sociology. 12. (Electronics) to link (two circuits) by electromagnetic induction13. (Zoology) (intr) to have sexual intercourse14. to join or be joined in marriage; marry15. (Hunting) (tr) to attach (two hounds to each other)[C13: from Old French: a pair, from Latin cōpula a bond; see copula]

cou•ple

(ˈkʌp əl)

n., v. -pled, -pling. n. 1. a combination of two of a kind; pair. 2. a grouping of two persons, as a married or engaged pair, lovers, or dance partners. 3. any two persons considered together. 4. a small number; few: We met a couple of times. 5. a pair of equal, parallel forces acting in opposite directions and tending to produce rotation. 6. something that joins two things together. v.t. 7. to fasten or associate together in a pair or pairs. 8. to join; connect. 9. to unite in marriage or in sexual union. 10. a. to join or associate by means of a coupler. b. to bring (two electric circuits or circuit components) close enough to permit an exchange of electromagnetic energy. v.i. 11. to join in a pair; unite. 12. to copulate. [1175–1225; Middle English < Anglo-French c(o)uple, Old French cople, cuple < Latin cōpula a tie, bond (see copula)] cou′ple•a•ble, adj. usage: The phrase a couple of has been standard for centuries, esp. in referring to distance, money, or time (Stay for a couple of days) and is used in all but the most formal speech and writing. The shortened a couple, without of (The gas station is a couple miles from here), is an Americanism of recent development that occurs chiefly in informal speech. Without a following noun, the phrase is highly informal: Jack shouldn't drive. He's had a couple. (Here the noun drinks is omitted.) See also collective noun.

couple

- Its underlying notion is of "joining," coming from Latin copula, "connection, tie."See also related terms for joining.

pair

couple1. 'a pair of'

A pair of things are two things of the same size and shape that are used together, such as shoes.

Someone has dropped a pair of gloves.He bought a pair of hiking boots.

When you use a pair of like this, you can use either a singular or a plural form of a verb.

He wore a pair of shoes that were given to him by his mother.A pair of shoes was stolen.

You also use a pair of to refer to something that has two main parts of the same size and shape, such as trousers, glasses, or scissors.

She has a new pair of glasses.Do you have a pair of scissors I could use?

When you use a pair of like this, you use a singular form of a verb.

Who does this pair of jeans belong to?A good pair of binoculars is essential for watching birds.2. 'a couple of'

In conversation and informal writing, you can refer to two people or things as a couple of people or things.

I asked a couple of friends to help me.We played a couple of games of tennis.

You use a plural form of a verb with a couple of.

A couple of guys were standing by the car.On the table were a couple of mobile phones.

Be Careful!
Don't use 'a couple of' in formal writing.

3. referring to two people as a 'couple'

A couple consists of two people who have a romantic or sexual relationship, for example a husband and wife or boyfriend and girlfriend.

In Venice we met a South African couple.Married couples will get tax benefits.

You usually use a plural form of a verb with couple.

A couple were sitting together on the bench.

couple

Past participle: coupled
Gerund: coupling

Imperative
couple
couple

Present
I couple
you couple
he/she/it couples
we couple
you couple
they couple

Preterite
I coupled
you coupled
he/she/it coupled
we coupled
you coupled
they coupled

Present Continuous
I am coupling
you are coupling
he/she/it is coupling
we are coupling
you are coupling
they are coupling

Present Perfect
I have coupled
you have coupled
he/she/it has coupled
we have coupled
you have coupled
they have coupled

Past Continuous
I was coupling
you were coupling
he/she/it was coupling
we were coupling
you were coupling
they were coupling

Past Perfect
I had coupled
you had coupled
he/she/it had coupled
we had coupled
you had coupled
they had coupled

Future
I will couple
you will couple
he/she/it will couple
we will couple
you will couple
they will couple

Future Perfect
I will have coupled
you will have coupled
he/she/it will have coupled
we will have coupled
you will have coupled
they will have coupled

Future Continuous
I will be coupling
you will be coupling
he/she/it will be coupling
we will be coupling
you will be coupling
they will be coupling

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been coupling
you have been coupling
he/she/it has been coupling
we have been coupling
you have been coupling
they have been coupling

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been coupling
you will have been coupling
he/she/it will have been coupling
we will have been coupling
you will have been coupling
they will have been coupling

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been coupling
you had been coupling
he/she/it had been coupling
we had been coupling
you had been coupling
they had been coupling

Conditional
I would couple
you would couple
he/she/it would couple
we would couple
you would couple
they would couple

Past Conditional
I would have coupled
you would have coupled
he/she/it would have coupled
we would have coupled
you would have coupled
they would have coupled

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	couple - a pair who associate with one another; "the engaged couple"; "an inseparable twosome"twosome, duet, duopair - two people considered as a unitsame-sex marriage - two people of the same sex who live together as a family; "the legal status of same-sex marriages has been hotly debated"
	2.	couple - a pair of people who live together; "a married couple from Chicago"mates, matchfamily unit, family - primary social group; parents and children; "he wanted to have a good job before starting a family"power couple - a couple both of whom have high-powered careers or are politically influentialDINK - a couple who both have careers and no children (an acronym for dual income no kids)
	3.	couple - a small indefinite number; "he's coming for a couple of days"small indefinite amount, small indefinite quantity - an indefinite quantity that is below average size or magnitude
	4.	couple - two items of the same kind couplet, distich, duad, duet, duo, dyad, twain, twosome, brace, pair, span, yokefellow, mate - one of a pair; "he lost the mate to his shoe"; "one eye was blue but its fellow was brown"2, II, two, deuce - the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this numberdoubleton - (bridge) a pair of playing cards that are the only cards in their suit in the hand dealt to a player
	5.	couple - (physics) something joined by two equal and opposite forces that act along parallel linesnatural philosophy, physics - the science of matter and energy and their interactions; "his favorite subject was physics"dipole - a pair of equal and opposite electric charges or magnetic poles separated by a small distancebuilding block, unit - a single undivided natural thing occurring in the composition of something else; "units of nucleic acids"moment of a couple - given two equal and opposite forces, the product of the force and the distance between them
Verb	1.	couple - bring two objects, ideas, or people together; "This fact is coupled to the other one"; "Matchmaker, can you match my daughter with a nice young man?"; "The student was paired with a partner for collaboration on the project"mate, pair, twin, matchmatch - give or join in marriagemismate - provide with an unsuitable matemismatch - match badly; match two objects or people that do not go togetherbring together, join - cause to become joined or linked; "join these two parts so that they fit together"
	2.	couple - link together; "can we couple these proposals?"couple on, couple upattach - cause to be attacheddecouple, uncouple - disconnect or separate; "uncouple the hounds"
	3.	couple - form a pair or pairs; "The two old friends paired off"pair, pair off, partner offunite, unify - act in concert or unite in a common purpose or belief
	4.	couple - engage in sexual intercourse; "Birds mate in the Spring"copulate, mate, pairnick - mate successfully; of livestockconjoin, join - make contact or come together; "The two roads join here"tread - mate with; "male birds tread the females"service, serve - mate with; "male animals serve the females for breeding purposes"deflower, ruin - deprive of virginity; "This dirty old man deflowered several young girls in the village"mount, ride - copulate with; "The bull was riding the cow"breed, cover - copulate with a female, used especially of horses; "The horse covers the mare"bugger, sodomise, sodomize - practice anal sex uponsodomise, sodomize - copulate with an animal

couple

noun1. pair, two, brace, span (of horses or oxen), duo, twain (archaic), twosome There are a couple of police officers standing guard.2. husband and wife, pair, item The couple have no children.couple something to something link to, connect to, pair with, unite with, join to, hitch to, buckle to, clasp to, yoke to, conjoin to The engine is coupled to a semiautomatic gearbox.couple something with something combine with, accompany by, mix with, join with, unite with, compound with, amalgamate with, incorporate with, link with Overuse of these drugs, coupled with poor diet, leads to physical degeneration.

couple

noun1. Two items of the same kind together:brace, couplet, doublet, duet, duo, match, pair, two, twosome, yoke.2. Two persons united, as by marriage:duo, pair, twosome.verb1. To join one thing to another:affix, attach, clip, connect, fasten, fix, moor, secure.2. To bring or come together into a united whole:coalesce, combine, compound, concrete, conjoin, conjugate, connect, consolidate, join, link, marry, meld, unify, unite, wed, yoke.3. To come or bring together in one's mind or imagination:associate, bracket, connect, correlate, identify, link.4. To engage in sexual relations with:bed, copulate, have, mate, sleep with, take.Idioms: go to bed with, make love, make whoopee, roll in the hay.

Translations

一对一对夫妇三两个两个夫妻

couple

(ˈkapl) noun1. two; a few. Can I borrow a couple of chairs?; I knew a couple of people at the party, but not many. 一对，三两个 2. a man and wife, or a boyfriend and girlfriend. a married couple; The young couple have a child. 夫妻，情侣 verb to join together. The coaches were coupled (together), and the train set off.连接ˈcouplet (-lit) noun two lines of verse, one following the other, which rhyme with each other. 对句（相连并押韵的两行诗），对联 ˈcoupling noun a link for joining things together. The railway carriage was damaged when the coupling broke. 连接器（尤指列车等的车钩）

couple

→ 一对夫妇zhCN, 两个zhCN

couple

have a couple

To have multiple alcoholic drinks (not necessarily just two), especially to the point of becoming mildly intoxicated. John's usually quite reticent around other people, but he becomes the life of the party after he's had a couple. Nothing helps me unwind after a long week of working like having a couple with some good friends.See also: couple, have

odd couple

A particularly unlikely or mismatched pair of people. Though the senator and her running mate are quite the odd couple on paper, the partnership is clearly intended to broaden the scope of her appeal to voters in the upcoming election. We're a bit of an odd couple, all right, but the differences between my girlfriend and I seem to balance each other out.See also: couple, odd

a couple of (people or things)

Two or more people or things. The phrase is intentionally vague in number. It's not going to be a big party—I just invited over a couple of people from school. I just need a couple of minutes to talk to you about your upcoming schedule, sir.See also: couple, of

couple (something) (on)to (something)

To connect or fasten two things together. We still need to couple the trailer to the truck before we can leave. I coupled the latch onto the peg, so it should stay secure.See also: couple

couple (something) together

To connect or fasten two things together. We still need to couple the trailer and the truck together before we can leave.See also: couple, together

couple up

To form a pair with someone else. The phrase is often but not always used to describe romantic relationships. When the teacher told us that we could work with a classmate on the assignment, I immediately coupled up with my best friend. I feel lonely because all of my friends are coupled up and dating right now.See also: couple, up

couple with

1. To connect or fasten two things together. A noun or pronoun can be used between "couple" and "with." We still need to couple the trailer with the truck before we can leave.2. To form a pair with someone else. A noun or pronoun can be used between "couple" and "with." When the teacher told us that we could work with a classmate on the assignment, I immediately coupled with my best friend.3. euphemism To have sex with someone. A noun or pronoun can be used between "couple" and "with." My roommate hasn't been home any night this week—I wonder who he's coupling with.See also: couple

kill time

To engage in an activity, usually a rather aimless or idle one, with the goal of making time seem to pass more quickly or less slowly. I'm going to walk down to the bookstore to kill time before my flight. Do you want anything? It used to be that people killed time at the train station by talking to each other, but now everyone is nose-deep in their phone.See also: kill, time

kill (an amount of time)

To engage in an activity, usually an aimless or idle one, to occupy oneself, especially with the goal of making the amount of time seem to pass more quickly or less slowly. I'm going to walk down to the bookstore to kill a couple hours before my flight. Do you want anything? The game is great if you want to kill a few minutes here and there, but it gets pretty tiresome playing it for long stretches.See also: amount, kill, of

strange bedfellows

A pair of people, things, or groups connected in a certain situation or activity but extremely different in overall characteristics, opinions, ideologies, lifestyles, behaviors, etc. A notorious playboy musician and an ultra-conservative media pundit may be strange bedfellows, but the two are coming together all this month to bring a spotlight to suicide awareness. I thought that the two writers would make strange bedfellows, given the drastically different nature of their writing, but the books they've co-written actually work really well.See also: bedfellow, strange

suffer a setback

To experience or encounter some kind of minor delay, obstacle, impasse, or failure. The project suffered a setback when we realized the manufacturer had stopped producing the part we needed. After suffering a couple of setbacks early on, the company has finally started making consistent profits and growth.See also: suffer

suffer an attack of (some illness)

To be stricken by a sudden or acute onset of some kind of illness or its symptoms. I went to bed early last night after suffering a severe attack of indigestion. He suffered an asthma attack halfway through the hike.See also: attack, of, suffer

couple of

two; two or three; a few; some; not many. Bill grabbed a couple of beers from the refrigerator. I hung a couple of pictures on the wall.See also: couple, of

couple someone with someone

to join one person with another to make a pair. I coupled Todd with Amy for the dinner party.See also: couple

couple something (on)to something

and couple something on (to something); couple something onto attach something to something. Couple this connector to that one. The railroad worker coupled on the next car in line. Couple the green one onto the red one.See also: couple

couple something together

to attach two parts of something together. Couple these two cars together and put them on track seven. You have to couple the ends of the two hoses together before you turn on the water.See also: couple, together

couple something with something

to join one thing with another to make a pair. We coupled the budget issue with the staffing issue for our agenda.See also: couple

couple up (with someone)

[for one person] to join another person to form a pair. I decided to couple up with Larry. Larry and I coupled up with each other. By midnight, they all had coupled up and were dancing.See also: couple, up

couple with someone

Euph. to have sexual intercourse with someone. They coupled with each other in a night of passion.See also: couple

couple with something

to connect or join to something. This railroad car will couple with the engine. These cars did not couple with the others properly, and there was almost an accident.See also: couple

kill time

Fig. to use something up, especially time. I killed time reading a novel. The employees were not encouraged to kill time.See also: kill, time

suffer a setback

to have a minor or temporary failure. We suffered a setback when much of our vineyard was damaged by a fungus.See also: suffer

kill time

Pass time aimlessly. For example, There was nothing to do, so I sat around killing time until dinner was ready. This idiom was first recorded about 1768. See also: kill, time

odd couple

see under strange bedfellows. See also: couple, odd

strange bedfellows

A peculiar alliance or combination, as in George and Arthur really are strange bedfellows, sharing the same job but totally different in their views . Although strictly speaking bedfellows are persons who share a bed, like husband and wife, the term has been used figuratively since the late 1400s. This particular idiom may have been invented by Shakespeare in The Tempest (2:2), "Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows." Today a common extension is politics makes strange bedfellows, meaning that politicians form peculiar associations so as to win more votes. A similar term is odd couple, a pair who share either housing or a business but are very different in most ways. This term gained currency with Neil Simon's Broadway play The Odd Couple and, even more, with the motion picture (1968) and subsequent television series based on it, contrasting housemates Felix and Oscar, one meticulously neat and obsessively punctual, the other extremely messy and casual. See also: bedfellow, strange

kill time

do things to make time seem to pass more quickly and to avoid getting bored, especially while waiting for something.See also: kill, time

kill ˈtime, a couple of ˈhours, etc.

have ˈtime, a couple of ˈhours, etc. to kill

do something to help pass the time while you are waiting for something: ‘What did you do at the airport when your plane was late?’ ‘We killed time by playing cards and doing crosswords.’ ♢ I had two hours to kill before the train left, so I went to see a movie.See also: couple, kill, of

strange bedfellows

An odd couple; a peculiar combination. Shakespeare appears to have originated the term, with his “Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows” (The Tempest, 2.2). Several centuries later, Edward Bulwer-Lytton wrote (The Caxtons, 1849), “Poverty has strange bedfellows.” Today we often say that politics makes strange bedfellows, meaning that politicians form odd associations in order to win more support or votes.See also: bedfellow, strange

couple

cou·ple

couple

cou•ple

couple

pair

couple

couple

couple

couple

couple

couple

have a couple

odd couple

a couple of (people or things)

couple (something) (on)to (something)

couple (something) together

couple up

couple with

kill time

kill (an amount of time)

strange bedfellows

suffer a setback

suffer an attack of (some illness)

couple of

couple someone with someone

couple something (on)to something

couple something together

couple something with something

couple up (with someone)

couple with someone

couple with something

kill time

suffer a setback

kill time

odd couple

strange bedfellows

kill time

kill ˈtime, a couple of ˈhours, etc.

have ˈtime, a couple of ˈhours, etc. to kill

strange bedfellows

couple

couple

Couple

Couple

couple

couple

couple

cou·ple

cou·ple

Patient discussion about couple

couple

Synonyms for couple

noun pair

Synonyms

noun husband and wife

Synonyms

phrase couple something to something

Synonyms

phrase couple something with something

Synonyms

Synonyms for couple

noun two items of the same kind together

Synonyms

noun two persons united, as by marriage

Synonyms

verb to join one thing to another

Synonyms

verb to bring or come together into a united whole

Synonyms

verb to come or bring together in one's mind or imagination

Synonyms

verb to engage in sexual relations with

Synonyms

Synonyms for couple

noun a pair who associate with one another

Synonyms

Related Words

noun a pair of people who live together

Synonyms