curb

American  

[kurb] / kɜrb /

noun

curbs plural

1. Also kerb a rim, especially of joined stones or concrete, along a street or roadway, forming an edge for a sidewalk.

2. anything that restrains or controls; restraint; check.

3. an enclosing framework or border.

4. Also called curb bit.  a bit used with a bridoon for control of a horse, to which a chain curb chain is hooked.

5. British, kerb market.  Also called kerbstone market.  Also called curb market;.  a market, originally on the sidewalk or street, for the sale of securities not listed on a stock exchange.

6. the framework around the top of a well.

7. the arris between an upper and a lower slope on a gambrel or mansard roof.

8. a belt of metal, masonry, etc., for abutting a dome at its base.

9. (in a windmill) the track on which the cap turns.

10. Veterinary Pathology. a swelling on the lower part of the back of the hock of a horse, often causing lameness.

11. Engineering. the cutting edge at the bottom of a caisson.

12. Carpentry. purlin plate.

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verb (used with object)

curbs, present (3rd person singular) curbed, past participle, past curbing present participle

1. to control as with a curb; restrain; check.

   Synonyms:

   repress, bridle

   Antonyms:

   encourage

2. to cause to keep near the curb.

   Curb your dog.

3. Also kerb to furnish with or protect by a curb.

4. to put a curb on (a horse).

curb ¹ British  

/ kɜːb /

noun

1. something that restrains or holds back

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

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

   2. Also called: curb chain.  the chain or strap itself

4. a hard swelling on the hock of a horse

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verb

1. to control with or as if with a curb; restrain

curb ² British  

noun

1. 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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Synonym Usage

See check ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• curbable
  adjective
• curbless
  adjective
• curblike
  adjective
• uncurbable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• curbs
  plural

Participles

• curbing
  present
• curbed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• curb
  simple
• curbs
  simple
• have curbed
  perfect
• has curbed
  perfect
• am curbing
  progressive
• are curbing
  progressive
• is curbing
  progressive
• have been curbing
  perfect progressive
• has been curbing
  perfect progressive

Past

• curbed
  simple
• had curbed
  perfect
• was curbing
  progressive
• were curbing
  progressive
• had been curbing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will curb
  simple
• will have curbed
  perfect
• will be curbing
  progressive
• will have been curbing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of curb

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English curb, courbe “curved piece of wood” (noun), “stooped, hunchbacked” (adjective), from Anglo-French curb, courb “curved, bowed,” Old French, from Latin curvus “crooked, bent, curved”; see curve

Explanation

The hard thing about learning how to parallel park is trying to get the car close enough to the curb without hitting it. A curb is the edge of the sidewalk beside the road. When you're using the word curb as a noun, it's the raised edging beside a street. When curb is a verb, it means to restrain or hold back, like when you curb your impulse to laugh while watching a badly acted play. Curb comes from the Latin word for "curve," curvus, which describes the shape of a restraining strap on a horse's head — in the fifteenth century, this band was called a curb.

Example Sentences

She is among many parents stuck in a bureaucratic loop -- a government list of approved names designed to promote Tajik culture and curb both the influence of both Russia and radical Islamism.

From Barron's • Jul. 3, 2026

Slumps in shares of Samsung and SK Hynix, which together make up around half of the Kospi index’s total weighting, have triggered several trading halts from authorities to curb volatility.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 3, 2026

Valuable Spanish painting accidentally kicked to the curb.

From MarketWatch • Jul. 2, 2026

As for the government’s anti-corruption interest, the court was not convinced that limiting coordinated party expenditures was necessary to curb conduit corruption.

From Salon • Jul. 2, 2026

Omnibuses hurtled down the street at alarming speed, and a line of hansom cabs waited at the curb.

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• constrain
• contain
• control
• hamper
• hinder
• impede
• inhibit
• restrain
• suppress
• tame