# couch potato

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/couch-potato
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A person who spends a lot of time sitting or lying down, often watching television, eating snacks or drinking alcohol.

## Examples

- My brother is a couch potato who watches TV all day.
- After losing his job, he became a couch potato and rarely left the house.
- She had vowed to run marathons, yet by winter she had slipped into the habits of a couch potato, surrounded by empty snack bowls and half-finished series.

## Origin

From couch + potato; coined by Tom Iacino in 1976 as a pun on boob tuber (from boob tube (“television”) and tuber (“potato”)); trademarked by Robert Armstrong from 1976–91.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.