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

States are experimenting with regulations to curb adolescent digital addictions, but the problem defies a pat government solution.

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Meanwhile, sharper curbs on immigration could be contributing to a slower pace of job gains by reducing labor-force growth.

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When the money runs out, they kick the patients out without support or referrals, regardless of whether or not they’ve recovered—a practice known as “patient dumping” or “curbing.”

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Meanwhile, fortunes are sliding again for low-wage and young workers, who are curbing spending and struggling to find jobs.

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On blustery afternoons, my street’s geography sends every scrap of airborne litter to my curb: candy wrappers, Styrofoam peanuts and Trader Joe’s receipts that reveal too much about the neighbors’ taquitos intake.

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Related Words

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