to couple

Examples

• All

• And in the tangled sheets of her husband's bed, they writhe and couple until dawn.

  Fiction book (1992)

• As spring arrived, many pairs of birds coupled in preparation for nesting.

• Not difficult to persuade animals to couple, Mother.

  Jacob (1994)

• Farther up the road, they coupled in the front seat.

  Fiction book (2001)

• And if you're quick about it, you might have time to couple with Georgina before dinner.

  Mortdecai (2015)

• The rabbits coupled in the early morning sunlight, continuing their mating ritual.

• In the wild, the females typically choose their mates and couple for the breeding season.

Synonyms

M

to mate

vsto couple

• NSFW

83 2.8

To have sex to produce young

is broader and can include non reproductive or human cases

C

to copulate

vsto couple

• NSFW

10 7.9

To have sex, usually used for animals or in biology

is broader and also applies to people not only animals

P

to pair

vsto couple

• NSFW

8 5.7

To come together to mate and have young

also applies to people as well as animals

Idioms

A

a couple of

144 1.0

A small number of things or people, usually two but sometimes a few

Phrasal Verbs

C

to couple on

• Specialized

1 6.5

To join one thing to another as an extra, often by a mechanical or formal connection

C

to couple up

4.7

To join two machines or vehicles so they are connected

C

to couple up

• Informal

3.9

To start a romantic relationship with someone

Compounds

A

a couple of

∞ 1.0

A small number of things or people, usually two but sometimes a few

M

married couple

70 1.0

Two people who are married to each other

P

power couple

• Literature

8 3.6

Two people in a romantic relationship who are both very successful and influential

M

moment of a couple

• Specialized

8.6

A turning effect that two equal opposite forces make when they are apart

U

unwed couple

3.8

Two people in a romantic relationship who are not married to each other

How Formal

to copulate

• NSFW

10 7.9

to couple

• NSFW

5 8.1

to have sex

• NSFW

∞ 3.0

to sleep with

• NSFW

652 7.4

to hook up

• NSFW

132 8.7

Surface Forms

Etymology