cou|ple ◆◆◇ /kʌ p ə l/ (couples , coupling , coupled )
1 QUANT If you refer to a couple of people or things, you mean two or approximately two of them, although the exact number is not important or you are not sure of it. □ [+ of ] Across the street from me there are a couple of police officers standing guard. □ [+ of ] I think the trouble will clear up in a couple of days. □ [+ of ] …a small town a couple of hundred miles from New York City. ● DET Couple is also a determiner in spoken American English, and before 'more' and 'less'. □ …a couple weeks before the election. □ I think I can play maybe for a couple more years. ● PRON Couple is also a pronoun. □ I've got a couple that don't look too bad.
2 N‑COUNT [with sing or pl verb] A couple is two people who are married, living together, or having a sexual relationship. □ The couple have no children. □ …after burglars ransacked an elderly couple's home.
3 N‑COUNT [with sing or pl verb] A couple is two people that you see together on a particular occasion or that have some association. □ …as the four couples began the opening dance.
4 VERB [usu passive] If you say that one thing produces a particular effect when it is coupled with another, you mean that the two things combine to produce that effect. □ [be V -ed + with ] …a problem that is coupled with lower demand for the machines themselves. □ [V -ed] Over-use of those drugs, coupled with poor diet, leads to physical degeneration.
5 VERB [usu passive] If one piece of equipment is coupled to another, it is joined to it so that the two pieces of equipment work together. □ [be V -ed + to ] Its engine is coupled to a semiautomatic gearbox. □ [be V -ed + together ] The various systems are coupled together in complex arrays.
6 → see also coupling COLLOCATIONS couple NOUN 2
adjective + couple : gay, heterosexual, homosexual, lesbian, same-sex; married, unmarried; childless; elderly, middle-aged, young SYNONYMS couple NOUN
2
item: She and Gino were an item.
pair: He and Paula made an unlikely pair.
3
duo: …Britain's former golden duo of Linford Christie and Sally Gunnell.
pair: They have hit more runs together than any pair in history.
cou|plet /kʌ pl I t/ (couplets ) N‑COUNT A couplet is two lines of poetry which come next to each other, especially two lines that rhyme with each other and are the same length. □ …rhyming couplets.
cou|pling /kʌ pl I ŋ/ (couplings )
1 N‑COUNT A coupling is a device which is used to join two vehicles or pieces of equipment together. □ Before driving away, re-check the trailer coupling.
2 N‑COUNT An act of sexual intercourse is sometimes referred to as a coupling . [FORMAL ] □ …sexual couplings.
3 → see also couple
cou|pon /kuː pɒn/ (coupons )
1 N‑COUNT A coupon is a piece of printed paper which allows you to pay less money than usual for a product, or to get it free. □ Bring the coupon below to any Tecno store and pay just £10.99. □ …a 50p money-off coupon.
2 N‑COUNT A coupon is a small form, for example in a newspaper or magazine, which you send off to ask for information, to order something, or to enter a competition. □ Send the coupon with a cheque for £18.50, made payable to 'Good Housekeeping'.
cour|age ◆◇◇ /kʌ r I dʒ, [AM ] kɜː r-/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Courage is the quality shown by someone who decides to do something difficult or dangerous, even though they may be afraid. □ He has impressed everyone with his authority and personal courage. □ They do not have the courage to apologise for their actions.
2 → see also Dutch courage
3 PHRASE If you have the courage of your convictions , you have the confidence to do what you believe is right, even though other people may not agree or approve. □ Developers should have the courage of their convictions and stick to what they do best.
4 to pluck up the courage → see pluck SYNONYMS courage NOUN 1
bravery: He deserves the highest praise for his bravery.
nerve: He never got up enough nerve to meet me.
fortitude: He suffered a long series of illnesses with tremendous dignity and fortitude.
daring: His daring may have cost him his life.
cou|ra|geous /kəre I dʒəs/ ADJ Someone who is courageous shows courage. □ It was a very frightening experience and they were very courageous. □ It was a courageous decision, and one that everybody admired.
cour|gette /kʊə r ʒe t/ (courgettes ) N‑VAR Courgettes are long thin vegetables with dark green skin. [BRIT ] in AM, use zucchini
cou|ri|er ◆◇◇ /kʊ riə r / (couriers , couriering , couriered )
1 N‑COUNT A courier is a person who is paid to take letters and parcels direct from one place to another. □ The cheques were delivered to the bank by a private courier firm.
2 N‑COUNT A courier is a person employed by a travel company to look after people who are on holiday.
3 VERB If you courier something somewhere, you send it there by courier. □ [V n + to ] I couriered it to Darren in New York. [Also V n]