在物理学中，耦合常数决定了相互作用的强度。例如在牛顿万有引力定律和爱因斯坦的广义相对论中，牛顿常数 就是引力的耦合常数。在粒子物理中，耦合常数的数值常常通过精细结构常数来给出。例如电磁相互作用的精细结构常数为 ， 其中是电磁相互作用的耦合常数，它正比与电子电荷。在日常使用时，耦合常数也经常和精细结构常数换用。

在拉格朗日系统中，拉格朗日量或哈密顿量可以分成动能部分和相互作用部分。耦合常数决定了决定了相互作用部分相对于动能部分的强度。在存在多种相互作用的情况下，耦合常数也决定着各个相互作用的相对强度。

In physics, a coupling constant or gauge coupling parameter is a number that determines the strength of the force exerted in an interaction. Usually, the Lagrangian or the Hamiltonian of a system describing an interaction can be separated into a kinetic part and an interaction part. The coupling constant determines the strength of the interaction part with respect to the kinetic part, or between two sectors of the interaction part. For example, the electric charge of a particle is a coupling constant that sits beside an interaction with two matter fields and one photon field (hence the common Feynman diagram with two arrows and one wavy line). Since photons carry electromagnetism, this coupling constant determines how strongly electrons feel such a force and has its value fixed by experiment.