to couple up
- phrasal verb
- /ˈkʌpəl ʌp/
- Informal
:
emparejarse
- It's common for people to couple up during college and many relationships begin this way.
Was there anyone you wish you'd coupled up with but didn't?
- Was there anyone you wish you'd coupled up with but didn't?
- So other than me, I do like Lana's and Sammy's hair quite a Who would you couple up with from the Castle and more boys?
Examples
-
After months of friendship, they finally decided to couple up and started dating.
-
Was there anyone you wish you'd coupled up with but didn't?
-
Many participants in the show are hoping to couple up with someone special this season.
Synonyms
115
2.2
To join two people or things so they work together
Antonyms
- Informal
678
2.6
End a relationship with someone, for example a romantic or business partner
How Serious
∞
1.0
- Archaic
19
6.0
- Informal
∞
1.3
- Informal
∞
1.0
267
3.1
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 verb couple up comes from the image of two people forming a pair: couple means a pair and up shows they come together. Think of two people joining hands to become a pair; that's why it means 'to begin a romantic relationship'.