curb

[kurb]

noun

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.

verb (used with object)

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

/ 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

verb

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

curb

²

noun

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

Other Word Forms

• curbable adjective
• curbless adjective
• curblike adjective
• uncurb verb (used with object)
• uncurbable adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of curb¹

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”; curve

Word History and Origins

Origin of curb¹

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

Synonym Study

See check ¹.

Example Sentences

In the old days no one could place a legal sports bet without traveling to Las Vegas, a built-in curb on problem gambling.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Authorities in Lahore, Pakistan, deploy "anti-smog guns" to curb air pollution ahead of the winter smog season.

Read more on Barron's

While the UN review shows progress in curbing emissions over the next decade the projected fall is not enough to stop temperatures surging past global targets.

Read more on BBC

Washington wants to push U.S. companies to order U.S.-built tankers to curb Chinese maritime dominance.

Read more on Barron's

A move by Beijing to lift its export curbs will likely be seen as a problem for rare-earth stocks.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

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