# couple

Pronunciation: say "KUP-uhl" /ˈkʌpəl/

## Noun

1. Two people who are partners in a romantic or sexual relationship.
   - Simple: Two people who are in a romantic or sexual relationship.
   - _The couple celebrated their tenth anniversary with a quiet dinner at home._
   - _Many couples find that living together gradually reshapes the relationship._
3. A small number of things, typically two or just a few. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A small number of something, usually two or a few.
   - _We stayed an extra couple of days because the weather was so good._
   - _He jotted down a couple of ideas before the meeting started._
6. Two items of the same kind that are connected or considered together.
   - Simple: Two things of the same kind that go together.
   - _A couple of oxen were yoked together to haul the timber._
   - _The hunter kept a couple of hounds that always worked as a pair._
9. A pair of equal and opposite forces acting along parallel but separate lines, which tend to turn a body without moving it as a whole.
   - Simple: A pair of equal forces pushing in opposite directions that makes an object turn.
   - _The applied couple rotates the shaft without producing any net sideways force._
   - _Engineers calculated the couple needed to turn the heavy valve._

## Determiner

2. Used directly before a plural noun to indicate two or a small number of something. *(colloquial, Canada, US)*
   - Simple: Used before a noun to mean two or a few.
   - _Grab a couple chairs from the hallway before everyone arrives._
   - _We have a couple options left, so let's decide quickly._

## Verb

4. To link two things, or attach one thing to another.
   - Simple: To join two things together.
   - _Engineers couple the two pipes with a tight metal collar._
   - _The gearbox couples power from the engine to the wheels._
8. Of people or animals, to have sexual intercourse or mate, or to bring animals together to mate.
   - Simple: Of people or animals, to have sex or mate, or to put animals together so they mate.
   - _Frogs couple in the shallow water each spring._
   - _The pair coupled and then went their separate ways._

## Adjective

5. Amounting to two or a small number of, modifying the noun that follows. *(colloquial, Canada, US)*
   - Simple: Two or a small number of, placed before a noun.
   - _Grocery prices have gone up a lot over the past couple years._
   - _Those couple hours we spent hiking were the best part of our vacation._

## Verb

7. To join two people in wedlock; to marry. *(dated)*
   - Simple: To join two people together in marriage.

## Other meanings

- (noun) Something that joins or links two things together, such as a bond, tie, or coupler.
- (noun) A pair of plates of two different metals forming one unit of a voltaic battery, also called a voltaic or galvanic couple.
- (noun) A pair of rafters joined at the apex and tied at the feet to form a simple roof truss; a couple-close.
- (verb) In horse racing, to group several horses from one owner as a single entry, so that one bet covers a win by any of them.

## Origin

Latin cōpula became Old French couple, which Middle English borrowed with the same spelling. Copula is a doublet.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/couple (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).