The phrase"couple up"means to form a romanticrelationshiporpartnership with someone. It can alsomean to joinorconnecttwothingstogether.
UsageInstructions:
When using "couple up" to refer to relationships, it is usuallyused in a casualorinformalcontext.
Itoftenimplies that twopeoplearebecomingmoreintimateorexclusive.
Examples:
In a RelationshipContext:
"Afterdating for a few months, they decided to couple up."
"I saw them at the party; they reallycoupledup since the lasttime I saw them!"
In a ConnectingContext:
"We need to couple up these twoprojects to make them moreeffective."
"Can we couple up these two proposals?"
AdvancedUsage:
In a moreadvancedcontext, "couple up" can be used in discussionsaboutteamworkorpartnerships in professional settings, where differentideasorprojectsarecombined for better results.
Word Variants:
The nounform is "couple," which refers to twopeoplewhoare in a romanticrelationship.
The adjectiveform"coupled" can refer to things that arelinkedorjoinedtogether.
Different Meanings:
Besides relationships, "couple up" can refer to pairingitemsorconcepts in various contexts, suchastechnology (e.g., couplingdevices) ormathematics (e.g., coupling equations).
Synonyms:
For romantic relationships: pairup, get together, hook up.
For joiningthings: link, connect, combine.
Idioms:
"Tiedat the hip" can meanbeingverycloseorinseparable, similar to "coupledup" in a relationshipcontext.
"Twopeas in a pod" refers to a couple that is verysimilarorcompatible.
Phrasal Verb:
"Couple with" is anotherphrase that means to connectorassociate with something else.