curb

[ kurb ]

/ kɜrb /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR curb ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

verb (used with object)

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).

Nearby words

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 FOR curb

13. bridle, repress.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR curb ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR curb

13. encourage.

SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR curb ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

curb·a·ble, adjectivecurb·less, adjectivecurb·like, adjectiveun·curb, verb (used with object)

un·curb·a·ble, adjectiveun·curbed, adjective

Can be confusedcurb kerb

Synonym study

13. See check¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for curb

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|DAILY BEAST
He was shot twice in the head, his body left lying on a curb.
Local Truces Are Syria’s Sad Little Pieces of Peace|Joshua Hersh|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He had the vehicles moved to the curb outside the dealership.
Mexico’s Murderous SWAT Teams|Jason McGahan|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“The basic aim of a democratic regime is to curb the use of arbitrary powers against its citizens,” West writes.
How We Got to Ferguson—a Reading List|David Masciotra|August 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST

For instance, some women use it not only to curb premenstrual symptoms, but also to control when they menstruate.
The Pill Is More Than Birth Control|Keli Goff|July 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Without another word to the dazed trio, she rushed to the curb and commanded the boy to assist her into the saddle.
The Husbands of Edith|George Barr McCutcheon
The spirit needed to curb the flesh, literature needed to be cleansed.
Literary Tours in The Highlands and Islands of Scotland|Daniel Turner Holmes
They were stacked from the curb and even outside the curb, back against the back walls.
Warren Commission (4 of 26): Hearings Vol. IV (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
I had all the trouble in the world to curb the ardor of King Hiram who dragged me along the shadowy labyrinth of corridors.
Atlantida|Pierre Benoit
The second hansom was waiting and drew close up to the curb as the other drove off.
Daisy Ashford: Her Book|Daisy Ashford

British Dictionary definitions for curb

curb

/ (kɜːb) /

noun

something that restrains or holds back

any enclosing framework, such as a wall of stones around the top of a well

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

a hard swelling on the hock of a horse

verb (tr)

to control with or as if with a curb; restrain

Word Origin for curb

C15: from Old French courbe curved piece of wood or metal, from Latin curvus curved

noun

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

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

curb

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.

curb

1520s, of horses, "to lead to a curb," from curb (n.). Figurative use from 1580s. Related: Curbed; curbing.

curb

noun

verb (used with object)

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Origin of curb

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for curb

curb

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin for curb

noun

curb

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