curve
a continuously bending line, without angles.
the act or extent of curving.
any curved outline, form, thing, or part.
a curved section of a road, path, hallway, etc.
Railroads. a curved section of track: in the U.S. the curve is often expressed as the central angle, measured in degrees, of a curved section of track subtended by a chord 100 feet (30 meters) long (degree of curve ).
Baseball.
the path followed by a ball pitched as a curveball: The curve on that ball was nasty!
a graphic representation of the variations effected in something by the influence of changing conditions; graph.
Mathematics. a collection of points whose coordinates are continuous functions of a single independent variable.
Education. a grading system based on the scale of performance, so that those performing better relative to others in the group, regardless of their actual knowledge of the subject, receive high grades: The new English professor grades on a curve.: Compare absolute (def. 10).
a curved guide used in drafting.
to bend in a curve; cause to take the course of a curve.
to grade on a curve.
to bend in a curve; take the course of a curve.
Baseball. to pitch a curveball: After two forkballs, Stewart curved to Hernandez for a called strike.
having the shape of a curve; curved.
Idioms about curve
ahead of / behind the curve, at the forefront of (or lagging behind) recent developments, trends, etc.
flatten the curve. See entry at flatten the curve.
throw (someone) a curve,
to take (someone) by surprise, especially in a negative way.
to mislead or deceive.
Origin of curve
1Other words from curve
- curv·ed·ly [kur-vid-lee], /ˈkɜr vɪd li/, adverb
- curv·ed·ness, noun
- curve·less, adjective
- un·curved, adjective
- un·curv·ing, adjective
- un·der·curve, noun
- un·der·curve, verb (used without object), un·der·curved, un·der·curv·ing.
- well-curved, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use curve in a sentence
The national curve of new cases is far from flat — mostly turning vertical, she noted — and the Washington region is “unfortunately catching up with other states.”
Smithsonian museums, zoo to close as coronavirus caseload in D.C. region hits record for 16th day | Dana Hedgpeth, Ovetta Wiggins | November 19, 2020 | Washington PostEventually he and the mathematician Zsolt Lángi devised a new conjecture that sketched out the curve of all possible three-dimensional mosaics like this.
Scientists Uncover the Universal Geometry of Geology | Joshua Sokol | November 19, 2020 | Quanta MagazineSo in other words, you’re obviously doing a lot, you’re doing a lot more than you were and you, and you’re still, by that count way behind the curve.
EmTech Stage: Facebook’s CTO on misinformation | Tate Ryan-Mosley | November 18, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewOnce you begin to carry a spear gun, an experienced dive partner and mentor will shorten the learning curve and help ensure a safe dive.
Take a stab at spearfishing with these tips | Same Romano/Outdoor Life | November 16, 2020 | Popular-ScienceAlbert Einstein’s general theory of relativity separately describes gravity as curves in the space-time fabric.
The Spanish countryside, full of stone ruins and curving green hills, is a perfect hiking spot.
The Spanish Fraggle Rock: Setenil de las Bodegas Is an Andalucian Town Built Under a Rock | Nina Strochlic | January 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTRenowned author Dan Brown smiled, the ends of his mouth curving upwards in a physical expression of pleasure.
Sometimes they cut spiral strips from the curving horns of a mountain sheep, and steamed them straight.
The Wonder Book of Knowledge | VariousShe grew frightened at Tessas stillness; there was not one sympathetic line in the stern curving of her lips.
Tessa Wadsworth's Discipline | Jennie M. DrinkwaterThese were generally of simpler design, and adorned only with the series of doubly curving lines known as wave ornaments.
The Catacombs of Rome | William Henry WithrowFrom the river, curving past the statue of an Indian administrator, came a string of country people with baskets on their heads.
Hilda | Sarah Jeanette DuncanMr. Bradford called Roly's attention to the long stretch of treeless gravel curving to the west.
Gold-Seeking on the Dalton Trail | Arthur R. Thompson
British Dictionary definitions for curve
/ (kɜːv) /
a continuously bending line that has no straight parts
something that curves or is curved, such as a bend in a road or the contour of a woman's body
the act or extent of curving; curvature
maths
a system of points whose coordinates satisfy a given equation; a locus of points
the graph of a function with one independent variable
a line representing data, esp statistical data, on a graph: an unemployment curve
ahead of the curve ahead of the times; ahead of schedule
behind the curve behind the times; behind schedule
short for French curve
to take or cause to take the shape or path of a curve; bend
Origin of curve
1Other words from curve
- Related adjective: sinuous
Derived forms of curve
- curvedly (ˈkɜːvɪdlɪ), adverb
- curvedness, noun
- curvy, adjective
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
Scientific definitions for curve
[ kûrv ]
A line or surface that bends in a smooth, continuous way without sharp angles.
The graph of a function on a coordinate plane. In this technical sense, straight lines, circles, and waves are all curves.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with curve
see throw a curve.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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