a couple of something
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
a small, informal number of something
Literally: two of something
Register: neutral
Examples
I'll have a couple of beers.
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Everyday learner phrase (CEFR A2); level cross-referenced from published learner lists. Definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-08-01; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “a couple of something” mean?
a small, informal number of something Literally: two of something
Is “a couple of something” formal or informal?
a couple of something is generally neutral.