cur
noun
a mongrel dog, especially a worthless or unfriendly one.
cur
1 American
[kur]
/ kɜr /
noun
-
a mongrel dog, especially a worthless or unfriendly one.
-
a mean, cowardly person.
- Synonyms:
- heel, cad, blackguard
cur.
2
American
abbreviation
-
currency.
-
current.
cur
British
/ kɜː /
noun
-
any vicious dog, esp a mongrel
-
a despicable or cowardly person
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cur
1175–1225; Middle English curre, apparently shortened from curdogge. See cur dog
Explanation
A cur is a dog that isn't very good — or is a mixed breed. If dogs understood English, they would be offended at being called a cur. When you use the word cur, you're talking about a dog that's either a mutt, very unattractive, aggressive, or all three. The word can also be used as an insult for a person, especially a despicable man. In Old English, the word cur was originally cur-dog, which sometimes was used to describe any dog — good, bad, pedigreed or part Shepherd, part Collie, part whatever.
Vocabulary lists containing cur
Where the Red Fern Grows
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Twelfth Night
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The Merchant of Venice
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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.
“The black mouth cur is the best dog out there,” said Payne.
From Washington Times • Feb. 26, 2018
Young women would boast about being chatted up by the old cur at the local deli.
From Slate • Nov. 11, 2016
Our Hei-Hei — a Pekingese cross, we believe — looks quite the cur in such well-bred circles.
From Time • Jun. 15, 2016
An indignant Whitlam branded Fraser "Kerr's cur," and urged voters to "maintain the rage" at the ballot box.
From New York Times • Mar. 19, 2015
In the stable yes, but under leather a cur.
From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner
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.
