Couple Meaning
/ˈkʌp.əl/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounTwo of the same kind connected or considered together.
nounTwo partners in a romantic or sexual relationship.
Sentence Examples
Could you lend me your bicycle for a couple of days?
The burglar locked the couple in the basement.
I saw a couple of men get out.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The young ____ took a romantic walk along the beach.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Could you lend me your bicycle for a ____ of days?
Word Origin & History
From Middle English couple, from Old French couple, from Latin cōpula. Doublet of copula.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"'Tis in some sort with Friends (Pardon the Coarseness of the illustration) as it is with Dogs in Couples. They should be of the same Size; and Humour; and That which Pleases the One should Please the Other"
— 1692, Roger L'Estrange, Fables, of Aesop and Other Eminent Mythologists: with Morals and Reflexions, page 64:
"[…]couple of tables; one of which bore some preparations for supper; while, on the other […]"
— 1839, Charles Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby:
"The number of Souls in the Kingdom being uſually reckon'd one Million and a half, Of theſe I calculate there may be about tvvo hundred thouſand Couple vvhoſe VVives are Breeders, from vvhich Number I Subſtract thirty Thouſand Couples, vvho are able to maintain their ovvn Children, […]"
— 1729, [Jonathan Swift], A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People from Being a Burthen to Their Parents, or the Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Publick, Dublin: […] S[arah] Harding, […], →OCLC, page 5:
"Having a beloved couple (Jim and Pam, Cory and Topanga) exchange vows was once a foolproof way to juice TV ratings."
— 2026 May 27, Judy Berman, “When Did On-Screen Weddings Get So Bleak?”, in TIME, archived from the original on 28 May 2026:
"A couple of billiard balls, all mud and dirt, two battered hats, a champagne bottle […]"
— 1838 March – 1839 October, Charles Dickens, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1839, →OCLC:
Explore More A2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The young ____ took a romantic walk along the beach.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Could you lend me your bicycle for a ____ of days?