curse
Americannoun
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the expression of a wish that misfortune, evil, doom, etc., befall a person, group, etc.
- Synonyms:
- malediction, fulmination, execration, imprecation
- Antonyms:
- benediction, blessing
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a formula or charm intended to cause such misfortune to another.
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the act of reciting such a formula.
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a profane oath; curse word.
-
an evil that has been invoked upon one.
- Synonyms:
- torment, affliction, plague, scourge, bane, trouble, calamity, misfortune
-
the cause of evil, misfortune, or trouble.
- Synonyms:
- torment, affliction, plague, scourge, bane
-
something accursed.
-
Informal. Usually the curse the menstrual period; menstruation.
-
an ecclesiastical censure or anathema.
- Synonyms:
- imprecation, malediction, fulmination, execration
- Antonyms:
- benediction, blessing
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
-
a profane or obscene expression of anger, disgust, surprise, etc; oath
-
an appeal to a supernatural power for harm to come to a specific person, group, etc
-
harm resulting from an appeal to a supernatural power
to be under a curse
-
something that brings or causes great trouble or harm
-
a saying, charm, effigy, etc, used to invoke a curse
-
an ecclesiastical censure of excommunication
-
informal menstruation or a menstrual period
verb
-
(intr) to utter obscenities or oaths
-
(tr) to abuse (someone) with obscenities or oaths
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(tr) to invoke supernatural powers to bring harm to (someone or something)
-
(tr) to bring harm upon
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(tr) another word for excommunicate
Synonym Usage
Curse, blaspheme, swear are often interchangeable in the sense of using profane language. However, curse is the general word for the heartfelt invoking or angry calling down of evil on another: to curse an enemy. To blaspheme is to speak contemptuously or with abuse of God or of sacred things: to blaspheme openly. To swear is to use the name of God or of some holy person or thing as an exclamation to add force or show anger: to swear in every sentence.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have curstperfect
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have cursedperfect
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has curstperfect 3rd person singular
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has cursedperfect 3rd person singular
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has been cursingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am cursingprogressive 1st person singular
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have been cursingperfect progressive
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is cursingprogressive 3rd person singular
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cursingparticiple
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cursessingular 3rd person
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are cursingprogressive
Past
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had cursedperfect
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had curstperfect
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was cursingprogressive singular
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had been cursingperfect progressive
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cursedparticiple
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curstparticiple
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were cursingprogressive plural
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curstsimple
-
cursedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of curse
First recorded in before 1050; Middle English curs (noun), cursen (verb), Old English curs (noun), cursian (verb), of disputed origin
Explanation
When you curse, you say words you wouldn't want your mother or your priest to hear you saying. A curse can also be wishing something awful on someone, like the witch who puts a curse on Sleeping Beauty. When you hear "maledizione!" in an Italian opera, somebody's having a curse placed on them. The Italian word tells you just what a curse is — it's a "bad saying" — a really bad saying. Like "May you and all your family have nothing but Brussels sprouts to eat forever and ever!" That would be a curse. As a verb, the act of cursing will lead to getting your mouth washed out with soap.
Vocabulary lists containing curse
Christmas Carol Vocab: A Lyrical Lexicon
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Holes
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Common Five-letter Words for Wordle, List 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It went to the House and died, and Americans continue to change their clocks twice a year against their own clearly stated will, like a nation under a curse.
From Slate • Jun. 6, 2026
The resource curse got its name for a reason, the strange alchemy by which having lots of oil keeps a country poor and oppressed.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
Running from murderous in-laws is nothing compared to the threat at the heart of “Something Very Bad is Going to Happen,” which depicts exchanging vows with a presumed soul mate as gambling with a curse.
From Salon • Apr. 23, 2026
"These days, when I fight with my husband I drum to Burn and cast a curse on him," the 65-year-old conservative leader told the musicians at her office in the Japanese capital, Tokyo, on Friday.
From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026
The sound of the ripping fabric made a wordless curse against my master.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
