1 C1 informal
Non-standard or rare: to express or frame something in a certain way, or to produce something reluctantly (often a confusion with 'cough up' or 'couch in').
"He finally couched up a vague apology that satisfied no one."
couch up
C1 informal transitive
An extremely rare or dialectal variant, occasionally used to mean expressing something in a particular way or providing something reluctantly.
What does "couch up" mean?
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
Usage tip
This phrase is not a standard entry in major dictionaries. It may appear as a variant of 'couch in' (to express something in certain terms) or as a non-standard spelling of 'cough up'. Learners should avoid it and use clearer alternatives.
How to conjugate "couch up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
couch up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
couches up
he/she/it
Past simple
couched up
yesterday
Past participle
couched up
have + pp
-ing form
couching up
continuous
Hear "couch up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "couch up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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