What does mean when we use word “a couple of” ?

A couple is always two.

if it is more than two, but not a high number, then we say ‘a few’ usually 3 or 4, but could be 5.

In modern colloquial English, some people will use a couple to mean more than 2. But that would be incorrect.

But what about this one: ‘A couple of couples were seen strolling through the park on Sunday’.

Here a couple means two sets of two people who are together. (boyfriend/girlfriend, husband/wife,).

“A couple of” means “a pair of” or “two of”. It does not mean three or four of. That term would be “A few of.” Yes, people get sloppy in casual speech and use “a couple of” to mean “a few of,” but that usually just leads to confusion and the need to clarify. If you send me to the store for “a couple of newspapers”, and then somehow imply that I will be bringing back more than that, I would be forced to stop and ask you for clarification. “Did you mean two copies of the Chronicle? Or two copies of every newspaper on the stand? Precisely how many are you expecting (do you require)?”

Like many other similiar phrases, carelessness of use has nearly rendered the term ineffective. If you can’t predict what the reader will assume “a couple of” means in your writing, you either need to brush up on pop culture, or be meticulous about using “a couple of” when — and only when — you mean “two of”.

This shouldn’t be so hard to grasp. We wish the happy couple well in every wedding ceremony; that is to say, we with the TWO people who have just sealed their lives together all the very best life has to offer.

Unless we’re at a Mormon wedding!. Then the happy “couple” might actually be 10 or 15 or 20 people strong. Or might have been before bigamy (polyamory) was outlawed so strenuously in this country.

It generally means 2, but it’s not exact so some people use it when they talking about more than 2. Like, if you said “get me a couple of things from the store” and then ask for 3 thing.

Using ‘couple’ for more than 2 is not correct or incorrect really, but it can be confusing in cases where the exact number really matters.

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RE:
What does mean when we use word "a couple of" ?
Hi Friends, I'm looking usual meaning for "A Couple of" sentence. Let us see following example

(1) I have a couple of problems ..

(2) I have made a couple of items

etc….so when I'm using "a couple of" with these statements then what does that mean ? Is it really…

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What Does Couple Mean

you’re right. “a couple of” means “2 of.”

because the word couple=two. a couple of people, a couple of problems, a couple of cups, etc.

it is actually wrong to mean more than 2, but if i said a couple of cups, you wouldn’t know exactly how many either, right? yes, some people use a couple of to mean a few or many. can’t blame them because it’s a nice way to say you need more than 2 of something. but yes, it’s actually wrong to use couple for more than 2 items 😀 smart thinking..

It means a few or some.

1) I have a few problems.

2) I have made some things

any quantity more than ONE but less than Few or ALOT…….