couple
/ˈkʌpəl/
nounverb
Core
1.n.a pair who associate with one another
“the engaged couple”
2.n.a pair of people who live together
“a married couple from Chicago”
3.n.a small indefinite number
“he's coming for a couple of days”
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couple and mates share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. couple means “a pair who associate with one another”. mates means “a pair of people who live together”. couple is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈkʌpəl/
1.n.a pair who associate with one another
“the engaged couple”
2.n.a pair of people who live together
“a married couple from Chicago”
3.n.a small indefinite number
“he's coming for a couple of days”
/ˈmeɪts/
1.n.a pair of people who live together
“a married couple from Chicago”
| couple | mates | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈkʌpəl/ | /ˈmeɪts/ |
| Said | KUHP-uhl | mayts |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Letters | 6 | 5 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb | noun |
| Senses | 9 | 1 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | twosome, duo, duet | couple, match |
Full entry for couple · Full entry for mates · More comparisons