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

• uncurb
  verb (used with object)
• 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

See Examples For:

curb curbs curbed curbing

Exchanges around the world closed their doors in an attempt to curb plunging markets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

Some governments also use Wolbachia, a naturally occurring bacterium found in about half of all insect species, to curb the spread of mosquito-borne diseases like dengue.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

We want to invest in the curb appeal and add more outdoor furniture.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

Korean authorities are working to restore order, with President Lee Jae Myung telling regulators to implement measures to curb speculative trading, “quickly and aggressively.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Once everyone is in the car, and Mom has verified that we’ve all buckled our seat belts, we pull away from the curb.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day

A seemingly endless network of roads unfurls in a massive grid, generally without sidewalks, curbs or landscaping.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Beijing introduced new rules this month cracking down on overseas investments, citing national security concerns and cranking up curbs on buying US shares that were imposed on Chinese investors in May.

From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026

But shortly after it came into effect, the United States reversed visa curbs it had placed on Ghana.

From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026

The officer chased the rider through a parking lot, over curbs and across grass and dirt trails, at one point telling the teen cheekily, “Oh look, I’m still here.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026

The curbs and sidewalks were crushed in many places, showing where the National Guard tanks and halftracks had been.

From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut

Apollo, a Maine coon who died at 13 following a seizure a year after his arrival in 2015, had curbed the shop’s mouse problem and brought “so much love and energy.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

Europe has curbed refined capacity over the past five to 10 years, and other regions of the world, such as Latin America, have underinvested in their refining capacity, Selesky said.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026

California had always permitted raw milk to be sold in stores, but Los Angeles County’s more stringent rules had, in effect, curbed its retail sales.

From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026

Patel says a schoolwide phone ban that went into effect this past fall has curbed a lot of the lunch-shaming photos.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026

The horseman’s tone and bearing nettled Taran, but he curbed his temper and bowed courteously.

From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander

Chinese users of AI-powered companion bots have bid heart-rending farewells to their virtual buddies as national regulations took effect Wednesday aimed at curbing the risk of emotional dependency.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

Hiring slowed sharply in June even as the unemployment rate fell, curbing some of the budding momentum in job growth this year.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2026

It also announced it was curbing pay of top leaders in academy trusts.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

In other words, “rates are high enough that it is curbing activity,” said Josh Jamner, senior investment strategy analyst at ClearBridge Investments.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 18, 2026

Biological control has achieved some of its most spectacular successes in the area of curbing unwanted vegetation.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Related Words

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