cousins

cou·sins
C3O1U1S1I1N1S1
UK/ˈkʌzn̩s/US/ˈkʌz(ə)ns/US/ˈkʌzɪns/[ˈkʰɐz.ɹ̩ns]

noun

The American intelligence services (from a British perspective) or the British intelligence services (from an American perspective).

Less commonScrabble 9

Meanings

cousins1

nouncousins pl (plural only)

alternative Cousins

  1. pluralplural onlyslangespionageThe American intelligence services (from a British perspective) or the British intelligence services (from an American perspective).

    [T]he grounded fieldmen, the trainers and the case officers who made their own murmured caucus always – they saw the question solely in operational terms. […] They saw the shotgun marriage with the Cousins as just another skilful bit of tradecraft in a long and delicate poker game.

    1977, John le Carré [pseudonym; David John Moore Cornwell], chapter I, in The Honourable Schoolboy, London: Hodder and Stoughton, →ISBN, page 16
noun
  1. pluralplural of cousin
verb
  1. indicativepresentsingularthird personthird-person singular simple present indicative of cousin

Cousins2

proper nounCousins (plural Cousinses)

plural Cousinses · alternative Couzen · alternative Couzens · alternative Cozen · alternative Cozens · alternative Cozin · alternative Cozins · alternative Cossin · alternative Cossins · alternative Cosin · alternative Cosins · alternative Cusin · alternative Cusins · alternative Cussin · alternative Cussins · alternative Cousin

  1. A surname from Middle English.

Cousins3

proper noun
  1. pluralplural of Cousin
noun
  1. pluralplural of Cousin

Cousins4

noun
  1. Alternative letter-case form of cousins (“the American intelligence services (from a British perspective) or the British intelligence services (from an American perspective)”).

Origin

cousins · noun, noun, verb

From cousin + -s (suffix forming pluralia tantum, regular plurals of nouns, and the third-person singular indicative present tense forms of verbs). The plural noun noun 1 sense 1 (“American or British intelligence services”) was popularized in the works of the English author John le Carré (David John Moore Cornwell; 1930–2020).

Full word history & related roots →

Cousins · proper noun

  1. Frenchcousin, cousine
  2. Old Frenchcusin, cosin, cousin“cousin”
  3. EnglishCousins

A Middle English surname from Norman terminology. From Anglo-Norman, from Old French cusin, cosin, cousin (“cousin”) (French cousin, cousine). Literally, “familial relative”.

Full word history & related roots →

Cousins · proper noun, noun

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Sounds the same

cozens (weak vowel merger)cozens (weak vowel merger)cozens (weak vowel merger)

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

cousins. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cousins

MLA

“cousins.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cousins. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cousins,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cousins.

Source: cousins on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.