curb

American  

[kurb] / kɜrb /

noun

• curbs
  plural

1. Also 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.

3. an enclosing framework or border.

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

5. British, kerb market. Also called kerbstone market, curb market;. a market, originally on the sidewalk or street, for the sale of securities not listed on a stock exchange.

6. the framework around the top of a well.

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

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

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

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

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

12. Carpentry. purlin plate.

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verb (used with object)

• curbs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• curbed,
  past participle,  past
• curbing
  present participle

1. to control as with a curb; restrain; check.

   Synonyms:

   repress, bridle

   Antonyms:

   encourage

2. to cause to keep near the curb.

   Curb your dog.

3. Also kerb to furnish with or protect by a curb.

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

curb ¹ British  

/ 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

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

   2. Also called: curb chain. the chain or strap itself

4. a hard swelling on the hock of a horse

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verb

1. to control with or as if with a curb; restrain

curb ² British  

noun

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

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Synonym Usage

See check ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• uncurb
  verb (used with object)
• curbable
  adjective
• curbless
  adjective
• curblike
  adjective
• uncurbable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• curbs
  plural

Participles

• curbing
  present
• curbed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• curb
  simple
• curbs
  simple
• have curbed
  perfect
• has curbed
  perfect
• am curbing
  progressive
• are curbing
  progressive
• is curbing
  progressive
• have been curbing
  perfect progressive
• has been curbing
  perfect progressive

Past

• curbed
  simple
• had curbed
  perfect
• was curbing
  progressive
• were curbing
  progressive
• had been curbing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will curb
  simple
• will have curbed
  perfect
• will be curbing
  progressive
• will have been curbing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of curb

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

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Explanation

The hard thing about learning how to parallel park is trying to get the car close enough to the curb without hitting it. A curb is the edge of the sidewalk beside the road. When you're using the word curb as a noun, it's the raised edging beside a street. When curb is a verb, it means to restrain or hold back, like when you curb your impulse to laugh while watching a badly acted play. Curb comes from the Latin word for "curve," curvus, which describes the shape of a restraining strap on a horse's head — in the fifteenth century, this band was called a curb.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

curb curbs curbed curbing

He added, though, that rising rates could curb AI investment in other ways, such as by hurting consumers and generally slowing the economy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

The European Commission gained new regulatory powers in August under the AI Act, the world's most far-reaching rules to curb potentially dangerous uses of the technology.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

That inflation has seen central banks around the world raise interest rates in an effort to curb rising prices, tapping the brakes on economic activity.

From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026

Rivals moved to curb the bumping of fliers after a high-profile 2017 incident where a doctor was dragged off a United Express flight.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

More than half of them had parents waiting for them at the curb, leaving only forty-two bus riders to put on nine buses.

From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith

But when residents later saw painted pavement markings showing the planned curbs and bike lines, “they got involved in a big way,” Supernaw said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

Perhaps the biggest came in Oregon, which enacted the nation’s strictest curbs on private equity’s control over medical practices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

But curbs have often been followed by court challenges from rental providers and tourism operators, resulting in legal uncertainty.

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

Phil Kornbluth, founder of Kornbluth Helium Consulting, also noted that balloon makers are usually among the first to suffer from supply curbs.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 30, 2026

The curbs were loaded with tree limbs and trash and ruined things that people had swept from the streets.

From "Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World" by Ashley Herring Blake

Lula has also sharply curbed deforestation in the Amazon, but the environment has barely registered as a campaign issue.

From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026

That’s because the latest inflation reading for July, which saw the consumer price index rise a scant 0.1% for the month, matched Wall Street’s forecast and curbed some inflation anxiety on Wall Street.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026

She hasn’t faced charges but has curbed her speech on social media.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

The Home Office has said its new £662m deal with France, signed in April, curbed dangerous crossings by "boosting enforcement action on beaches".

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

Mindful of being a teenaged upstart in the company of such seasoned track deities as Jesse Owens and Glenn Cunningham, Louie curbed his coltish impulses and began growing a mustache.

From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand

One ambitious report published by the think tank floated the radical idea of curbing the credit-card swipe fees enforced at grocery stores.

From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026

Now, according to one of his advisers, he is having regular meetings with staff to track their impact and working on new legislation aimed at curbing their rapid expansion across the country.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

Brett Baker, a lawyer for the Central Delta Water Agency, said the lawsuit focuses on curbing the “degradation of the ecosystem, the community, the economy in the Delta.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

The former union leader has overseen a drop in inflation and unemployment while massively curbing deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

Use the monopoly of force to promote happiness, by maintaining public order and curbing violence.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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Related Words

• constrain
• contain
• control
• hamper
• hinder
• impede
• inhibit
• restrain
• suppress
• tame

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