/ ˈkʌpl; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
[ sing.+ sing./pl. v . ] couple (of sth) two people or things :
I saw a couple of men get out.
HELP NOTE : In BrE a plural verb is usually used in all 3 senses.
2.
[ sing.+ sing./pl. v . ] couple (of sth) a small number of people or things
SYN a few :
a couple of minutes
We went there a couple of years ago.
I've seen her a couple of times before.
I'll be with you in a minute. There are a couple of things I have to do first.
There are a couple more files to read first.
We can do it in the next couple of weeks.
The last couple of years have been difficult.
3.
[ C +sing./pl. v . ] two people who are seen together, especially if they are married or in a romantic or sexual relationship :
married couples
a young / an elderly couple
Several couples were on the dance floor.
The couple was / were married in 1976.
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IDIOMS
see shake noun
► a couple pronoun :
Do you need any more glasses? I've got a couple I can lend you.
► couple determiner ( NAmE ):
It's only a couple blocks away.
■ verb
1.
[ vn ] [ usually passive ] ~ A (to B) | ~ A and B together to join together two parts of sth, for example two vehicles or pieces of equipment :
The two train cars had been coupled together.
CDTV uses a CD-ROM system that is coupled to a powerful computer.
2.
[ v ] ( formal ) ( of two people or animals ) to have sex
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PHRASAL VERBS
- couple sb/sth with sb/sth
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old French cople (noun), copler (verb), from Latin copula (noun), copulare (verb), from co- together + apere fasten. Compare with copula and copulate .