Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

curd

American  
[kurd] / kɜrd /

noun

  1. Often curds. a substance consisting mainly of casein and the like, obtained from milk by coagulation, and used as food or made into cheese.

  2. any substance resembling this.

  3. Also called curd cheese.  Chiefly Northeastern and Southern U.S. cottage cheese.

  4. the edible flower heads of cauliflower, broccoli, and similar plants.

verb (used with or without object)

  1. to turn into curd; coagulate; congeal.

curd British  
/ kɜːd /

noun

  1. (often plural) a substance formed from the coagulation of milk by acid or rennet, used in making cheese or eaten as a food

  2. something similar in consistency

"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

verb

  1. to turn into or become curd

"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

Regionalisms

See cottage cheese.

Other Word Forms

  • curdiness noun
  • curdy adjective
  • uncurd verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of curd

1325–75; Middle English curden (v.), variant of crudden to crud, congeal; crowd 1

Vocabulary lists containing curd

English Words Derived from Gaelic

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

At M&S varieties now include red velvet, lemon curd, tiramisu, caramel fudge, chocolate, cheese and apple incarnations.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

Standing outside a supermarket Ethan tells us he's heard very good reviews of lemon curd hot cross buns.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

The cheesemaker's goal is to remove as much whey and moisture from the curd as they need to for their specific recipe.

From Salon • Jul. 24, 2024

“Here,” she writes as the ship draws closer to the icy continent, “where certain colors begin: apricot, lemon curd, rose hip, nectarine. All are born in this jam-smudged southern sky.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 14, 2023

Ma put her wooden cheese hoop on the board, spread a clean, wet cloth all over the inside of it, and filled it heaping full of the chunks of salted curd.

From "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.