Couple — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb adjective /ˈkə-pəl/ cou·ple

Meaning & Definition of Couple

Couple (noun)

  1. two persons married, engaged, or otherwise romantically paired
  2. two persons paired together
  3. pair, brace

Couple (verb)

  1. to connect for consideration together
  2. to join for combined effect
  3. to fasten together, link

Couple (adjective)

  1. two; also, few —used with a

Couple (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a small number

    "there are only a couple of errors in the computer program"

    similar: few, handful, scatter, scattering, smatter, smattering, sprinkle, sprinkling
    related: minority, atom, crumb, fragment, grain, iota, jot, modicum, molecule, particle, scrap, shred, tittle, whit
    opposite: army, crowd, flock, gazillion, horde, host, jillion, kazillion, legion, loads, many, mountain, multitude, oodles, scads, thousands, zillion
    near: majority, most, abundance, excess, plenty, surplus, deal, gobs, heap, lot, mass, much, peck, pile, plenitude, pot, profusion, quantity, raft, reams, slather, slew, stack, wad, wealth

  2. two things of the same or similar kind that match or are considered together

    "a couple of socks"

    similar: brace, couplet, duo, dyad, pair, twain, twosome
    related: span, yoke, partnership, team, companion, complement, doublet, fellow, half, match, mate, twin, coordinate, counterpart, equal, equivalent, like, parallel, peer, rival

Couple (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to come together to form a single unit

    "at Pittsburgh, the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers couple to form the Ohio"

    similar: associate, coalesce, combine, conjoin, conjugate, connect, fuse, interfuse, join, link (up), marry, unify, unite
    related: mate, yoke, ally, confederate, league, chain, compound, hitch, hook, splice, assemble, cluster, congregate, constellate, convene, gather, meet, recombine, reconnect, rejoin, reunify, reunite
    opposite: break up, dissever, part, section, separate, sever, split, sunder, unlink
    near: detach, disaffiliate, disconnect, disjoin, disjoint, dissociate, disunite, divide, divorce, fractionate, isolate, resolve, uncouple, unyoke, disband, disperse, scatter

  2. to put or bring together so as to form a new and longer whole

    "if you couple the two extension cords, the connection should be long enough to reach the next room"

    similar: catenate, chain, compound, concatenate, conjugate, connect, hitch, hook, interconnect, interlink, join, link, yoke
    related: articulate, dovetail, integrate, interlock, intermesh, cord, string, wire, cement, coalesce, combine, fuse, unite, weld
    opposite: disconnect, disjoin, disjoint, dissever, disunite, separate, unchain, uncouple, unhitch, unlink, unyoke
    near: detach, disengage, divide, part, split, cleave, rupture, sever, sunder

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Couple

The most common words with a similar meaning to Couple:

few, handful, scatter, scattering, smatter, smattering, sprinkle, sprinkling, brace, couplet, duo, dyad, pair, twain, twosome, associate, coalesce, combine, conjoin, conjugate, connect, fuse, interfuse, join, link (up), marry, unify, unite, catenate, chain, compound, concatenate, hitch, hook, interconnect, interlink, link, yoke

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Couple

Words with the opposite meaning of Couple:

army, crowd, flock, gazillion, horde, host, jillion, kazillion, legion, loads, many, mountain, multitude, oodles, scads, thousands, zillion, break up, dissever, part, section, separate, sever, split, sunder, unlink, disconnect, disjoin, disjoint, disunite

Related Words for Couple

minority, atom, crumb, fragment, grain, iota, jot, modicum, molecule, particle, scrap, shred, tittle, whit, span, partnership, team, companion, complement, doublet, fellow, half, match, mate, twin, coordinate, counterpart, equal, equivalent, like

Near Antonyms of Couple

majority, most, abundance, excess, plenty, surplus, deal, gobs, heap, lot, mass, much, peck, pile, plenitude, pot, profusion, quantity, raft, reams, slather, slew, stack, wad, wealth, detach, disaffiliate, dissociate, divide, divorce

Word Forms of Couple

Inflections: coupled, coupling

Derived words: coupledom (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Couple

Middle English, pair, bond, from Anglo-French cuple, from Latin copula bond, from co- + apere to fasten apt

First known use: 13th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Couple

Words & Phrases Containing Couple

couple with, a couple, a couple of, estranged couple, odd couple, the last/previous couple of, the next couple of

Frequently Asked Questions about Couple

What does "Couple" mean?

"Couple" means two persons married, engaged, or otherwise romantically paired. As an a noun, a verb and an adjective, it is defined as: two persons married, engaged, or otherwise romantically paired. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Couple"?

Other words for "Couple" include few, handful, scatter, scattering, smatter, smattering, sprinkle and sprinkling. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Couple" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Couple"?

There are 97 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Couple". Common alternatives include few, handful, scatter, scattering, smatter, smattering, sprinkle, sprinkling, brace and couplet.

What is the opposite of "Couple"?

Antonyms of "Couple" include army, crowd, flock, gazillion, horde, host, jillion and kazillion. Near antonyms include majority, most, abundance and excess.

How do you use "Couple" in a sentence?

Examples of "Couple" in a sentence: "there are only a couple of errors in the computer program"; "a couple of socks"; "at Pittsburgh, the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers couple to form the Ohio".

Is "Couple" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Couple" can be used as a noun, a verb and an adjective, depending on the context.

Is "Couple" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C2-level word, "Couple" is typical of Cambridge C2 Proficiency (CPE), IELTS band 8.5–9.0, TOEFL iBT 114–120, PTE Academic 85–90. It is on the Academic Word List, so it appears often in IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, and university texts. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

How do you pronounce "Couple"?

"Couple" is pronounced /ˈkə-pəl/ and divided into syllables as cou·ple.