couple

Forms

1.Two of the same kind connected or considered together.
- A couple of police officers appeared at the door.
2.Two partners in a romantic or sexual relationship.
- Having a beloved couple (Jim and Pam, Cory and Topanga) exchange vows was once a foolproof way to juice TV ratings.
3.A small number.(informal)
- ‘Oh, merely a couple of hundred a year, but the work is slight, and it need not interfere very much with one’s other occupations.’
4.One of the pairs of plates of two metals which compose a voltaic battery, called a voltaic couple or galvanic couple.
- Tom met Mary a couple of years ago.
- We've been here for the last couple of days.

1.Two or (a) small number of.(informal)
- Apparently, Ann in particular liked these couple pages of the character thing.
- Since we were now living so close, at least those couple hours of talking together helped boost our spirits.
- Put any couple guys in a tricked out car and a couple of bandannas […]" He trailed off.

1.Two or a few, a small number of.(colloquial)
- I'll be there in a couple minutes.
- A couple fewer people show up every week.
- Couple boys from way downcountry come for a summer in the woods. Isaac Cole talked to em.

1.To join (two things) together, or (one thing) to (another).
- I've coupled our system to theirs.
- Now the conductor will couple the train cars.
- The familiarly pleasant smell of fried burgers couples with the piquant scent of fishsauce out here among the tables where diners feed like sharks from paper-lined baskets heaped with fries.
2.To join in sexual intercourse; to copulate.
- On their wedding night they coupled nine times.

Common· #515

From Middle English couple, from Old French couple, from Latin cōpula.

Doublet of copula.