couplingdrift
/ˈkʌplɪŋˌdrɪft/nounVerified NewThe reorganization of a single person's social world around couples, as peers pair off and invitations assume twos.
Dinners become double dates, tables become even-numbered, and the single friend is folded in or folded out. Nobody decides it; it accretes.
Etym. — coupling + drift — the social plate shifting under one's feet.
Rel. — borrowedcircle · pairfade
Novelty check: NEW · checked 2026-11-08
review evidence: wordstoreview/review-batch-3-09-social.md
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