1
: the act of bringing or coming together : pairing
specifically
: sexual union
2
: a device that serves to connect the ends of adjacent parts or objects
3
: the joining of or the part of the body that joins the hindquarters to the forequarters of a quadruped
4
: a means of electric connection of two electric circuits by having a part common to both
Synonyms
Examples of coupling in a Sentence
the couplings between railroad cars
a coupling of literature and science
Recent Examples on the Web
Moreover, there’s a distinct harmony to the film’s interracial couplings — born, perhaps, from the lives of its two married writers — without the need to present awkward skirmishes.
—
Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 29 Jan. 2025
But for many, the unusual coupling — only Bill Clinton’s second inauguration on Jan. 20, 1997, coincided with the King holiday — may be a moment of reckoning for a country that has struggled since its inception between its ideals of equality and its divisions over race and ethnicity.
—Clyde McGrady, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2025
The bottom line: Decoupling sometimes causes coupling.
—Dan Primack, Axios, 3 Dec. 2024
The sixth season of Love Island USA, hosted by Vanderpump Rules’ Arianna Maddox and streaming on Peacock, delivered on the drama that makes legendary reality television: endearing personalities, authentic friendships, exciting couplings and a feast of quotable moments.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for coupling 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 29 Jan. 2025
But for many, the unusual coupling — only Bill Clinton’s second inauguration on Jan. 20, 1997, coincided with the King holiday — may be a moment of reckoning for a country that has struggled since its inception between its ideals of equality and its divisions over race and ethnicity.
—Clyde McGrady, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2025
The bottom line: Decoupling sometimes causes coupling.
—Dan Primack, Axios, 3 Dec. 2024
The sixth season of Love Island USA, hosted by Vanderpump Rules’ Arianna Maddox and streaming on Peacock, delivered on the drama that makes legendary reality television: endearing personalities, authentic friendships, exciting couplings and a feast of quotable moments.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for coupling
Dictionary Entries Near coupling
Cite this Entry
“Coupling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coupling. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
coupling
noun
cou·pling
ˈkəp-liŋ ( 
usual for sense 2 ),
-ə-liŋ
1
: the act of bringing or coming together
2
: something that connects two parts or things
Medical Definition
coupling
noun
cou·pling
ˈkəp-liŋ, -ə-liŋ
1
: the joint together with its supporting structures between the last lumbar vertebra and the sacrum that joins the hindquarters of a quadruped to the trunk
broadly
: the part of the body or the conformation and proportionate length of the part of the body that joins the hindquarters to the forequarters
2
: the tendency of linked traits to be inherited together in offspring of a double heterozygote when both dominant genes occur on one chromosome and both recessive genes occur on the homologous chromosome compare repulsion
3
: bigeminy
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share