curb

American  

[kurb] / kɜrb /

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.

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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 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

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

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

You can also catch Larry David and Times news and culture critic Lorraine Ali talking about Ali’s new book, “No Lessons Learned: The Making of Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

Appeared in the February 19, 2026, print edition as 'Durable Solutions Urged to Curb Microplastics'.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

And all this has landed in the same month that RFK Jr.’s longtime wife, Curb Your Enthusiasm star Cheryl Hines, released a memoir of her own.

From Slate • Nov. 19, 2025

He also made one-off appearances in iconic US shows such as Curb Your Enthusiasm and The West Wing.

From BBC • Aug. 24, 2025

Curb chain covered with india-rubber tube 76 42.

From The Horsewoman A Practical Guide to Side-Saddle Riding, 2nd. Ed. by Hayes, M. Horace (Matthew Horace)

Related Words

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