Word.ws English Dictionary

couplet

Syllables: coup·let/ˈkʌp.lət/

couplet noun: a pair of lines, typically with rhyming end words. Also the ellipsis of antithetical couplet.

Noun

couplet (plural couplets)

  1. A pair of lines, typically with rhyming end words.
  2. A pair of one-way streets which carry opposing directions of traffic through gridded urban areas.
    • 5th Street is one-way west only and 6th Street is one-way east only. Together, they form a couplet in Downtown Los Angeles.
    Synonyms:
    one-way pair
  3. A pair of two mutually exclusive choices in a dichotomous key.
    • The dichotomous keys are constructed so that each couplet presents a set of alternative choices.2001, Stephen T. Ross, The Inland Fishes of Mississippi, page 33
    • As long as the correct statement of each couplet is chosen, and the unknown organism is included in the key, a confident identification is usually achieved.2004, Shin'ichiro Ishikawa, An Exploration of a New Poetic Expression Beyond Dichotomy

Also used as

couplet is also the ellipsis of antithetical couplet.

couplet meaning in Telugu, Tagalog, Indonesian and Persian

couplet in Telugu

in poetry, a pair of lines with rhyming end words
ద్విపద dvipada

couplet in Tagalog

in poetry, a pair of lines with rhyming end words
dulay, dalawahan, kopla

couplet in Indonesian

in poetry, a pair of lines with rhyming end words
bait, kuplet, untai

couplet in Persian

in poetry, a pair of lines with rhyming end words
بِیْت beyt
More languagesFewer languages
couplet in Vietnamese
đối, câu đối

Examples of couplet in a sentence

  • Shakespeare often used volte-faces in the rhyming couplets at the end of his sonnets.
  • Soon after Surrey's translation of Virgil, blank verse became a persuasive rival to the heroic couplet.
  • The danger for the couplet, a short endlessly recurrent metre, is an effect of sameishness.

All 10 example sentences with couplet

Synonyms of couplet

  • one-way pair
  • duo

Forms of couplet

pluralcouplets

Plural of couplet: couplets

Origin of couplet

From French couplet, from couple + -et. Doublet of cabaletta.

Words formed from couplet

Words that rhyme with couplet

Questions about couplet

What does couplet mean?
Couplet means a pair of lines, typically with rhyming end words.
What is couplet in Telugu?
Couplet in Telugu is ద్విపద (dvipada). See Couplet meaning in Telugu.
What part of speech is couplet?
Couplet is a noun.
How do you pronounce couplet?
Couplet is pronounced /ˈkʌp.lət/.
What is the plural of couplet?
The plural of couplet is couplets.

Words near couplet in the dictionary

  1. couplers
  2. couples
  3. couples therapies
  4. couples therapy
  5. couples up
  6. couplet
  7. coupleteer
  8. coupleteers
  9. couplets
  10. coupley
  11. couplezilla

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: couplet (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-couplet.wav.

Cite this entry: “couplet.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/couplet. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.