curbing

[ kur-bing ]

/ ˈkɜr bɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR curbing ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the material forming a curb, as along a street.

curbstones collectively.

a curb or a section of a curb.

Nearby words

Also British, kerb·ing.

Origin of curbing

First recorded in 1585–95; curb + -ing¹

curb

[ kurb ]

/ kɜrb /

noun

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

anything that restrains or controls; a restraint; check.

an enclosing framework or border.

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

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

the framework around the top of a well.

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

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

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

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

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

Carpentry. purlin plate.

verb (used with object)

to control as with a curb; restrain; check.

to cause to keep near the curb: Curb your dog.

Also British, kerb. to furnish with or protect by a curb.

to put a curb on (a horse).

Origin of curb

1250–1300; Middle English curb, courbe curved piece of wood (noun), stooped, hunchbacked (adj.) < Anglo-French curb, courb curved, bowed; Old French < Latin curvus crooked, bent, curved. See curve

SYNONYMS FOR curb

13. bridle, repress.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR curb ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR curb

13. encourage.

SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR curb ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

curb·a·ble, adjectivecurb·less, adjectivecurb·like, adjectiveun·curb, verb (used with object)

un·curb·a·ble, adjectiveun·curbed, adjective

Can be confusedcurb kerb

Synonym study

13. See check¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for curbing

Perhaps the threat of legal action has also played a role in curbing the horde of dyspeptic deviants.
‘The Fappening’ Is Dead: From A-List Hacking Victims to D-Listers Accused of Leaking Nudes For PR|Marlow Stern|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This can change—but by curbing tuition inflation, not by extending more loans.
The Way to Tackle College Debt Is to Take on Tuition Inflation|Kristen Soltis Anderson|May 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This is not the work of a person interested in “curbing spending,” as Lew argues.
Dirty Debt, Done Dirt Cheap|Nick Gillespie|October 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
This is a smart move, and will be far more important to curbing unauthorized immigration than token efforts at border security.
What You Need to Know About the Gang of Eight's Immigration Reform Deal|Justin Green|April 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The challenges in the longer term are to raise revenue while curbing the cost of health.
The Urgency of Growth|Justin Green|January 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Uncle David and I were "tending mason," and father was down in the well laying or trying to lay the curbing.
A Son of the Middle Border|Hamlin Garland
A man's figure rose from the shadows of the porch and came forward to meet us as we swung up to the curbing.
Dawn O'Hara, The Girl Who Laughed|Edna Ferber
The chief, curbing his wrath, begged until morning to get the money.
Barclay of the Guides|Herbert Strang
They curb streets by resolution, but they have not resolution enough to keep the streets from curbing them.
Punchinello, Vol. 1, No. 3, April 16, 1870|Various
His imagination was in rebellion against the curbing to which he strove to subject it.
A Hoosier Chronicle|Meredith Nicholson

British Dictionary definitions for curbing

curbing

/ (ˈkɜːbɪŋ) /

noun

the US spelling of kerbing

curb

/ (kɜːb) /

noun

something that restrains or holds back

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

Also called: curb bita horse's bit with an attached chain or strap, which checks the horse
Also called: curb chainthe chain or strap itself

a hard swelling on the hock of a horse

verb (tr)

to control with or as if with a curb; restrain

Word Origin for curb

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

curb

noun

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for curbing

curb

1520s, of horses, "to lead to a curb," from curb (n.). Figurative use from 1580s. Related: Curbed; curbing.

curb

late 15c., "strap passing under the jaw of a horse" (used to restrain the animal), from Old French courbe (12c.) "curb on a horse," from Latin curvus, from curvare "to bend" (see curve (v.)). Meaning "enclosed framework" is from 1510s, probably originally with a notion of "curved;" extended to margins of garden beds 1731; to "margin of stone between a sidewalk and road" 1791 (sometimes spelled kerb). Figurative sense of "a check, a restraint" is from 1610s.

curbing

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of curbing

curb

noun

verb (used with object)

Origin of curb

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for curbing

curbing

noun

curb

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin for curb

curb

noun

curb

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