curb
[kurb]
- Also British, kerb. a rim, especially of joined stones or concrete, along a street or roadway, forming an edge for a sidewalk.
- anything that restrains or controls; a restraint; check.
- an enclosing framework or border.
- Also called curb bit. a bit used with a bridoon for control of a horse, to which a chain (curb chain) is hooked.
- Also called curb market; British, kerb market, kerbstone market. a market, originally on the sidewalk or street, for the sale of securities not listed on a stock exchange.Compare American Stock Exchange.
- the framework around the top of a well.
- the arris between an upper and a lower slope on a gambrel or mansard roof.
- a belt of metal, masonry, etc., for abutting a dome at its base.
- (in a windmill) the track on which the cap turns.
- Veterinary Pathology. a swelling on the lower part of the back of the hock of a horse, often causing lameness.
- Engineering. the cutting edge at the bottom of a caisson.
- Carpentry. purlin plate.
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- to control as with a curb; restrain; check.
- to cause to keep near the curb: Curb your dog.
- Also British, kerb. to furnish with or protect by a curb.
- to put a curb on (a horse).
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Origin of curb
1250–1300; Middle English curb, courbe curved piece of wood (noun), stooped, hunchbacked (adj.) < Anglo-French curb, courb curved, bowed; Old French < Latin curvus crooked, bent, curved. See curve
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comSynonym study
13. See check1.
Antonyms
13. encourage.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
restrictionreinledgebarrierrestraintcontrolhinderinhibitsuppresstameimpedecontainrestrainconstrainhamperlimitationchainbrakeedgerimExamples from the Web for curb
Contemporary Examples
Did you feel like, with Hello Ladies, you wanted your own showcase—your own Curb, so to speak?
Stephen Merchant Talks ‘Hello Ladies’ movie, the Nicole Kidman Cameo, and Legacy of ‘The Office’Marlow Stern
November 22, 2014
He was shot twice in the head, his body left lying on a curb.
He had the vehicles moved to the curb outside the dealership.
“The basic aim of a democratic regime is to curb the use of arbitrary powers against its citizens,” West writes.
For instance, some women use it not only to curb premenstrual symptoms, but also to control when they menstruate.
Historical Examples
Obeying a quick impulse, Percival stepped to the curb as she came opposite to him.
The SpendersHarry Leon Wilson
Yet what can I say, for all men know that your valor needs the curb and not the spur.
The White CompanyArthur Conan Doyle
The cobblestones had gone, and from curb to curb stretched smooth asphalt.
KMary Roberts Rinehart
A disorder which renders the sufferer unable to curb his tongue when you wish to talk.
The Devil's DictionaryAmbrose Bierce
And if I were denied the power, I must, as I now do, curb my inclination.
Clarissa, Volume 3 (of 9)Samuel Richardson
curb1
- something that restrains or holds back
- any enclosing framework, such as a wall of stones around the top of a well
- Also called: curb bita horse's bit with an attached chain or strap, which checks the horse
- Also called: curb chainthe chain or strap itself
- a hard swelling on the hock of a horse
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- to control with or as if with a curb; restrain
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See also kerb
Word Origin
C15: from Old French courbe curved piece of wood or metal, from Latin curvus curved
curb2
- 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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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
Word Origin and History for curb
n.
late 15c., "strap passing under the jaw of a horse" (used to restrain the animal), from Old French courbe (12c.) "curb on a horse," from Latin curvus, from curvare "to bend" (see curve (v.)). Meaning "enclosed framework" is from 1510s, probably originally with a notion of "curved;" extended to margins of garden beds 1731; to "margin of stone between a sidewalk and road" 1791 (sometimes spelled kerb). Figurative sense of "a check, a restraint" is from 1610s.
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v.
1520s, of horses, "to lead to a curb," from curb (n.). Figurative use from 1580s. Related: Curbed; curbing.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper