curb

[ kurb ]
See synonyms for curb on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Also British, kerb . a rim, especially of joined stones or concrete, along a street or roadway, forming an edge for a sidewalk.

  2. anything that restrains or controls; restraint; check.

  1. an enclosing framework or border.

  2. Also called curb bit . a bit used with a bridoon for control of a horse, to which a chain (curb chain ) is hooked.

  3. Also called curb mar·ket; British, kerb market, kerb·stone mar·ket . a market, originally on the sidewalk or street, for the sale of securities not listed on a stock exchange.: Compare American Stock Exchange.

  4. the framework around the top of a well.

  5. the arris between an upper and a lower slope on a gambrel or mansard roof.

  6. a belt of metal, masonry, etc., for abutting a dome at its base.

  7. (in a windmill) the track on which the cap turns.

  8. Veterinary Pathology. a swelling on the lower part of the back of the hock of a horse, often causing lameness.

  9. Engineering. the cutting edge at the bottom of a caisson.

  10. Carpentry. purlin plate.

verb (used with object)
  1. to control as with a curb; restrain; check.

  2. to cause to keep near the curb: Curb your dog.

  1. Also British, kerb . to furnish with or protect by a curb.

  2. to put a curb on (a horse).

Origin of curb

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English curb, courbe “curved piece of wood” (noun), “stooped, hunchbacked” (adjective), from Anglo-French curb, courb “curved, bowed,” Old French, from Latin curvus “crooked, bent, curved”; see curve

synonym study For curb

13. See check1.

Other words for curb

Opposites for curb

Other words from curb

  • curb·a·ble, adjective
  • curb·less, adjective
  • curb·like, adjective
  • un·curb, verb (used with object)
  • un·curb·a·ble, adjective

Words that may be confused with curb

Words Nearby curb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use curb in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for curb (1 of 2)

curb1

/ (kɜːb) /


noun
  1. something that restrains or holds back

  2. any enclosing framework, such as a wall of stones around the top of a well

    • Also called: curb bit a horse's bit with an attached chain or strap, which checks the horse

    • Also called: curb chain the chain or strap itself

  1. a hard swelling on the hock of a horse

verb(tr)
  1. to control with or as if with a curb; restrain

Origin of curb

1
C15: from Old French courbe curved piece of wood or metal, from Latin curvus curved

British Dictionary definitions for curb (2 of 2)

curb2

noun
  1. vet science a swelling on the leg of a horse, below the point of the hock, usually caused by a sprain

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012