couch potato

noun

plural couch potatoes
Synonyms of couch potatonext
: a lazy and inactive person
especially : one who spends a great deal of time watching television

Synonyms of couch potato

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of couch potato in a Sentence

a couch potato who refused to budge no matter what needed to be done
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
There is an unmatched kind of peace in giving yourself permission to be an absolute couch potato without an ounce of guilt. — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 13 Oct. 2026 Shop the New Balance Sneakers shoppers wear to walk 3 to 4 miles daily, or the wide-leg lounge pants that were practically made for couch potato nights (and days). — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Oct. 2026 Modern technology wants to turn you from a mental muscle builder into a mental couch potato. — David Brooks, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026 Alas, there are no couch potatoes in peaceful protest. — Chris John Amorosino, Hartford Courant, 16 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for couch potato

Word History

First Known Use

1976, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of couch potato was in 1976

Rhymes for couch potato

See All Rhymes for couch potato

Browse Nearby Words

couch grass
couch potato
couch roll
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Couch potato.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/couch%20potato. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

couch potato

noun
: someone who spends a lot of time sitting and watching television
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fervid

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All