From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcouplecou‧ple1 /ˈkʌpəl/ ●●● S1 W1 AWL noun 1 → a couple2 [countable]SYMARRY two people who are married or having a sexual or romantic relationship a newly married couple the couple next doorCOLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2: two people who are married or having a sexual or romantic relationshipadjectivesa young/middle-aged/elderly coupleA young couple with a baby have just moved into the house next door.a married coupleUnder the new rules, a married couple will now receive £20 a week extra.a newly married couple (=having married not long ago)Many newly married couples cannot afford to buy their own homes.an unmarried coupleShe rented the room to a young, unmarried couple.a childless couple (=without children)Are childless couples more or less likely to split up?a retired couple (=having finished working at the end of their working lives)The house is suitable for a retired couple.the happy couple (=the bride and bridegroom at their wedding)Guests stood around the happy couple, their glasses raised.a perfect couple (=a couple that seem very suitable for each other)Emily and John seemed a perfect couple.a courting couple old-fashioned (=having a romantic relationship, often planning to get married later)The path by the river is a popular area for courting couples.phrasesthey make a lovely couple (=look very attractive together/suit each other well)You two would make a lovely couple.
Examples from the Corpus
couple• And I've seen Fred a couple of times in the last few years.• It was a couple of hours before I could get back to Eleanor Darcy.• An elderly couple live next door.• An elderly couple was sitting on the park bench.• An entrepreneurial couple we talked to had always wanted to run a bed-and-breakfast.• Most bankruptcies involve couples who jointly file a petition to have their debts wiped out.• Shirley and Bob are a young married couple with two small children.• The house was bought by a young married couple.• They're a nice couple, aren't they?• By making breaking up harder to do, supporters believe that couples will focus more on staying together.• However, away from the cameras and microphones, the couple argued continually.• The couple fell in love before they had even set eyes on each other during a six-month long distance courtship.• the couple who live next door to me• He intends to invite some of these couples and top fertility clinic experts to appear before his panel.• It's increasingly common for unmarried couples to live together.• A young couple were walking hand in hand along the beach.couplecouple2 AWL verb 1 [transitive]TTJOIN something TOGETHER to join or fasten two things togethercouple something to something Each element is mathematically coupled to its neighbours.2 [intransitive] formalSYSEX/HAVE SEX WITH to have sex → couple something with something→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
couple• Efficiency is improved by coupling large numbers of boxcars together.• This meant, I assumed, that men coupled on the premises.• And Feinstein had voted for an earlier version when it was coupled with a minimum wage increase.• But after three relatively small grape harvests in a row coupled with continuing strong consumer demand, grape prices continue to increase.• This must be coupled with the creation of an attractive environment, through the transformation of derelict sites.Origin couple1 (1200-1300) Old French cople, from Latin copula; → COPULA 