to couple up
- phrasal verb
- /ˈkʌpəl ʌp/
:
acoplar
- Yeah, I coupled this up with shockwave focused shockwave therapy.
Examples
-
Oh yeah, and don't get nervous if we see a couple of Indians coming up behind.
-
The engineer decided to couple up the two machines to improve efficiency.
-
Our next official bus stop is Grace's Diner, a couple of miles up the road.
-
We need to couple up the wires before we can turn on the power.
-
To create the circuit, you'll need to couple up these components.
Synonyms
442
1.1
To join two things together physically
278
1.1
Join two things so they form one piece
115
2.2
To join two people or things so they work together
114
3.1
To join things, ideas, or people together
26
5.9
To come together or bring things together
10
3.7
Join another person to make a group of two for an activity
9
3.0
To join people, places, or things so they become connected
1
3.3
To join machines so they can share power or information using wires
1
3.7
To connect devices or systems so they can work together
1
6.5
To join one thing to another as an extra, often by a mechanical or formal connection
Antonyms
161
3.5
To separate something so it is no longer joined, for example remove a cable or turn off power
How Strong
Surface Forms
Morphology
couple + up
The meaning 'to begin a romantic relationship; to become a couple' is directly derivable from 'couple' (a pair/partners) combined with the particle 'up', which here signals forming or moving into a paired state. This verb+up pattern (e.g., pair up, team up) is productive in English and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would likely infer the meaning.
Etymology
Couple up: The phrasal verb couple up comes from the simple idea of making a pair: couple means a pair and up shows they are joined. Imagine two train cars joined together so they move as one — that's why it means 'to join or connect two things together'.