couple three
About two or three; a small vague handful.
Also called couple-three, a couple three, couple two three.
Updated September 21, 2026
couple three pronunciation
/KUP-ul three/
Meaning
A fuzzy count sitting between a couple and a few. You say couple three when you do not care to nail the number down. In Southern and Appalachian talk it slides in front of days, miles, beers, or nails. Nobody is doing math. They are guessing short.
How folks use it
- “We'll be gone a couple three days for the deer lease.”
- “Hand me a couple three of those fence staples out of the bucket.”
Origin and etymology
American colloquial stacking of small numbers, related to couple-two-three and couple or three. Wiktionary and dialect talk map it as a determiner meaning roughly two or three. It shows up in Appalachia and the South Midland, and also in other rural U.S. talk. Exact birthplace is unsettled.
Frequently asked questions
Does couple three mean five?
No. It means a small number around two or three, maybe a touch more if somebody is loose with it.