couch

/kɑʊtʃ/

/kɑʊtʃ/

Other forms: couched; couches; couching

A couch is a sofa — an upholstered piece of furniture that seats more than one person. It's nice to have a couch that's big enough for your whole family to sit on while you watch TV.

The word couch comes from the French word coucher, meaning to lie down. Some types of couches are indeed meant for lying down. A psychiatrist's couch, for example, was designed to make patients feel comfortable when discussing their problems. In language, to couch is to phrase your words in a certain manner. If you don't want to hurt your friend's feelings, you should couch your words carefully when you tell her that her everyone is leaving her party early.

Definitions of couch

1. noun

   an upholstered seat for more than one person
   synonyms: lounge, sofa

   types:

   convertible, sofa bed

   a sofa that can be converted into a bed

   daybed, divan bed

   an armless couch; a seat by day and a bed by night

   divan

   a long backless sofa (usually with pillows against a wall)

   love seat, loveseat, tete-a-tete, vis-a-vis

   small sofa that seats two people

   settee

   a small sofa

   squab

   a soft padded sofa

   davenport

   a large sofa usually convertible into a bed

   day bed, studio couch

   convertible consisting of an upholstered couch that can be converted into a double bed

   type of:

   seat

   furniture that is designed for sitting on
2. noun

   a narrow bed on which a patient lies during psychiatric or psychoanalytic treatment
   type of:

   bed

   a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
3. noun

   a flat coat of paint or varnish used by artists as a primer
   type of:

   flat coat, ground, primer, primer coat, priming, priming coat, undercoat

   the first or preliminary coat of paint or size applied to a surface
4. verb

   formulate in a particular style or language
   synonyms: cast, frame, put, redact

   type of:

   articulate, formulate, give voice, phrase, word

   put into words or an expression