cur

[ kur ]
See synonyms for cur on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a mongrel dog, especially a worthless or unfriendly one.

  2. a mean, cowardly person.

Origin of cur

1
1175–1225; Middle English curre, apparently shortened from curdogge.See cur dog

Other words for cur

Other words from cur

  • curlike, adjective

Words Nearby cur

Other definitions for cur. (2 of 2)

cur.

abbreviation
  1. currency.

  2. current.

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

How to use cur in a sentence

  • Not exactly, except that I heard my stepfather denounce the doctor as an infernal cur and blackguard.

    The Doctor of Pimlico | William Le Queux
  • He never resented alleged satire—perhaps he couldn't see it—and therefore he got the name of being a cur.

    Over the Sliprails | Henry Lawson
  • Within this deep shadow, Virtue is slaughtered and Genius treated like an unwelcome cur.

    Comrade Kropotkin | Victor Robinson
  • "I guess that's the best rabbit dog anywhere around here," he said, as a flea-bitten cur trotted past.

  • Red Ben went back on us, may the fiends take the redskin cur!

    Frank Merriwell's Pursuit | Burt L. Standish

British Dictionary definitions for cur

cur

/ (kɜː) /


noun
  1. any vicious dog, esp a mongrel

  2. a despicable or cowardly person

Origin of cur

1
C13: shortened from kurdogge; probably related to Old Norse kurra to growl

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