cur

[ kur ]

/ kɜr /

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See synonyms for cur on Thesaurus.com

noun

a mongrel dog, especially a worthless or unfriendly one.

a mean, cowardly person.

OTHER WORDS FOR cur

2 blackguard, cad, heel.

See synonyms for cur on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of cur

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

OTHER WORDS FROM cur

curlike, adjective

Words nearby cur

cup-tied, cup towel, cupula, cupulate, cupule, cur, curable, Curaçao, curacy, Cur. adv. vult, curagh

Other definitions for cur (2 of 2)

cur.

abbreviation

currency.

current.

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.
A Yankee from the West|Opie Read

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

any vicious dog, esp a mongrel

a despicable or cowardly person

Word Origin for cur

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