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Glite Dictionary
to veg on the couch

to veg on the couch

1 8.9
To relax and do nothing while sitting or lying on a couch
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : reposar en el sofá
  • On rainy weekends, my favorite activity is to veg on the couch with a good book.

Examples

  • I mean for people who just want to veg on the couch in front of their gaming box.

  • After a long week at work, I just want to veg on the couch and binge-watch my favorite series.

  • After completing my assignments, I plan to veg on the couch and take a nap.

Synonyms

to lounge
vsto veg on the couch
12 2.7

To sit or lie in a place and relax

relaxes by sitting or lying while specifically doing nothing rather than resting
to lounge around
vsto veg on the couch
  • Informal
5 3.8

To relax and do very little

relaxes by sitting or lying without implying laziness
to lounge in
vsto veg on the couch
  • Informal
4 4.0

To relax comfortably and spend time lazily in a chair or on a sofa

relaxes by sitting or lying still and focuses on doing nothing
to veg out
vsto veg on the couch
  • Informal
2 8.1

To relax and do nothing, often sitting and watching TV

relaxes by sitting or lying without emphasis on screen use
to lounge about
vsto veg on the couch
  • UK
1 3.4

To spend time lazily doing little or nothing

relaxes by sitting or lying and usually without any active purpose
to veg and relax
vsto veg on the couch
  • Informal
7.5

To rest and do nothing to recover from stress or tiredness

relaxes similarly but without a necessary focus on recovery

Antonyms

to be active
89 1.0

To move your body often by doing exercise or play

How Relaxed

to veg on the couch
  • Informal
1 8.9
to lounge
12 2.7
to relax
∞ 1.0
to rest
816 1.0

Surface Forms

veg on the couch infinitive
vegged on the couch past
vegged on the couch past participle
vegging on the couch present participle
vegs on the couch third person singular

Morphology

veg + on + the + couch

The meaning 'to relax and do nothing on a couch' follows directly from combining 'veg' (understood as 'to vegetate / be idle') with the locative phrase 'on the couch', so the overall sense is compositionally predictable. Note that 'veg' is informal/slang and may be missing from some dictionaries, but if a learner knows that verb sense the expression is transparently derivable.

Etymology

The phrase veg on the couch comes from veg as a short form of the word 'vegetate', and it brings to mind a plant sitting on a couch and not moving. So it means 'to relax and do nothing', often while watching TV.