couch

KOWCH/kaʊt͡ʃ/

19 meanings of couch

1
nounAustraliaCanadaIrelandUScountable
A long, soft seat made for two or more people to sit on.
We sat on the couch to watch a movie together.
The cat likes to sleep on the couch all afternoon.
Similarsofa, settee, divan
Note
2
verbtransitive
To say or write something using a certain choice of words.
Like wrapping a gift: the same thing is inside, but it looks nicer on the outside.
She couched her answer in polite words to avoid a fight.
Try to couch your criticism in a kind way.
Similarphrase, express, word, term
Note
3
nounmetonymically
Treatment where you talk to a therapist about your feelings and problems.
Years on the couch helped him understand why he felt so anxious.
Her doctor said the couch might help more than any pill.
Similartherapy, psychotherapy, analysis
Note
4
nouncountable
A bed or other place where you lie down to rest or sleep.
The weary traveler sank onto his couch and slept until dawn.
She made a simple couch of straw in the corner of the barn.
Similarbed
Note
5
verbintransitive
To lie down and rest on a bed or other comfortable place.
The tired dog couched in the shade of the tree.
At night the shepherds couch beside their flocks.
Similarrecline
Note
6
nounfiguratively
People who choose not to vote, often by staying home on election day.
Like the fans who stay home instead of cheering at the game.
The couch stayed home on election day, and turnout fell sharply.
Campaigners spent months trying to get the couch to the polls.
Note
7
noununcountable
A tough wild grass that spreads fast and is hard to clear from gardens.
Couch had taken over the flower bed, choking the young plants.
It can take years to clear couch from a neglected garden.
Similarquackgrass
Note
8
verbtransitive
To lay something down on a bed or other resting place.
She couched the baby on a pile of soft blankets.
They couch the patient gently on the stretcher.
Similarlay, place
Note
9
verbtransitive
To arrange or place things neatly, as if laying them in a bed.
She couched the seedlings in neat rows across the tray.
Carefully couch the layers so each one sits flat.
Similarset, lay, bed
Note
10
verbtransitive
To lay or set something down in a bed or flat layer.
The workers couched the wet clay in a flat layer to dry.
First couch the leaves in a thin bed at the bottom.
Similarlay, place, spread
Note

11
verbintransitive
To bend or lower your body, as when bowing, in pain, or crouching down.
Like bending down low the way you do when you bow to someone.
The servants couch low whenever the king walks past.
She couched down in pain, gripping the table edge.
Similarstoop, crouch, bow, bend
Note
12
verbtransitive
To lower a spear or lance and hold it ready to attack.
Like tipping a long stick forward so its point aims straight ahead, ready to push.
The knight couched his lance and charged at the gate.
Riders couch their spears as they near the enemy line.
Similarlower, level
Note
13
verbarchaicintransitive
To lie hidden, keeping low and out of sight.
Like an animal lying flat in the grass so no one can see it.
The hare couches in the tall grass until the danger passes.
You have overlooked a fallacy couched in the experiment of the stick.
1661, Galileo Galilei, The Systeme of the WorldHere, couched means hidden inside something.
Note
14
nouncountable
The home or resting place of an otter.
Like a nest, but for an otter instead of a bird.
The otters returned to their couch by the riverbank at dusk.
We found a couch hidden among the roots near the water.
Similarholt, den
15
verbtransitive
To fix a thread onto cloth with tiny stitches to give it texture.
Like sticking a string onto cloth with many small stitches so it lies flat.
She couched gold thread along the edge of the cushion.
They couch the heavy yarn onto the linen by hand.
Note
16
verbtransitive
To move a sheet of wet paper pulp from its mold onto a cloth to dry.
Like flipping a wet pancake out of the pan onto a plate, but with paper pulp.
The papermaker couched each fresh sheet onto a damp felt.
Workers couch the wet pulp onto blankets stacked in a pile.
Note
17
nouncountable
A first layer of paint or glue put down before the rest.
Like the first coat of paint on a wall before the real color goes on top.
The gilder brushed a thin couch of size onto the frame.
A pale couch of color showed through the finished painting.
Similarlayer, coat
Note
18
nouncountable
A pile of soaked barley spread on a floor to sprout when making malt.
Like a thick layer of seeds spread out to sprout, but here it's barley for beer.
The maltster turned the couch every few hours to keep it cool.
A thick couch of barley covered the malthouse floor.
Note
19
verbtransitive
To push the clouded lens of the eye out of the way with a needle.
Like poking a cloudy marble out of the way so you can see through the glass again.
The old surgeon couched the cataract with a fine needle.
Traveling healers would couch the clouded lens to let light back in.
Note

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of couch apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1, 3–4, 6, 14, 17–18

This noun comes from an Old French word 'couche', which came from the verb.

Meanings 2, 5, 8–13, 15–16, 19

This verb comes from Old French words meaning 'go to bed, lay down', from Latin 'collocare', meaning 'set in place'.

Meaning 7

This comes from a form of 'quitch', from Old English 'cwice'.