cure

[ kyoor ]

See synonyms for cure on Thesaurus.com

noun

a means of healing or restoring to health; remedy.
a method or course of remedial treatment, as for disease.

successful remedial treatment; restoration to health.
a means of correcting or relieving anything that is troublesome or detrimental: The administration is seeking a cure for inflation.
the act or a method of preserving meat, fish, etc., by smoking, salting, or the like.
spiritual or religious charge of the people in a certain district.
the office or district of a curate or parish priest.

verb (used with object),cured, cur·ing.

to restore to health.
to relieve or rid of something detrimental, such as an illness or a bad habit.

to correct (a document, especially a mail-in ballot) in order to make it valid: If the voter’s signature is missing, the county board sends them a certification form allowing the voter to cure the ballot so it can be counted.
to prepare (meat, fish, etc.) for preservation by salting, drying, etc.
to promote hardening of (fresh concrete or mortar), as by keeping it damp.
to process (rubber, tobacco, etc.) as by fermentation or aging.

verb (used without object),cured, cur·ing.

to effect a cure.
to become cured.

Origin of cure

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, Old French noun cure, from Latin cūra “care”; verb derivative of the noun

synonym study For cure

9. Cure, heal, remedy imply making well, whole, or right. Cure is applied to the eradication of disease or sickness: to cure a headache. Heal suggests the making whole of wounds, sores, etc.: to heal a burn. Remedy applies especially to making wrongs right: to remedy a mistake.

Other words for cure

2	remedy, restorative, specific, antidote

See synonyms for cure on Thesaurus.com

Other words from cure

cure·less, adjective
cure·less·ly, adverb
cur·er, noun
half-cured, adjective
o·ver·cured, adjective
sem·i·cured, adjective
un·cured, adjective
well-cured, adjective

Other definitions for curé (2 of 2)

curé

[ kyoo-rey, kyoor-ey; French ky-rey ]

noun,plural cu·rés

[kyoo-reyz, kyoor-eyz; French ky-rey]. /kyʊˈreɪz, ˈkyʊər eɪz; French küˈreɪ/.

(in France) a parish priest.

Origin of curé

1645–55; <French, Old French; modeled on Medieval Latin cūrātus parish priest; see curate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cure in a sentence

The lacquer cures for 72 hours, and then is sanded by hand to buff out any imperfections.
Behind the Wheel of the Bespoke Bentley | Zoe Settle | October 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
For a man who invests in cures for aging, his answer was surprisingly unambitious.
Peter Thiel’s Radical Political Vision | Gregory Ferenstein | October 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Ditto medical cures of established HIV infection with the current generation of antivirals.
It’s Impossible to Cure a Baby With HIV, No Matter How Seductive the Hope May Be | Kent Sepkowitz | July 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Antibiotic resistant bacteria is the latest target for scientific ‘cures.’
The Fake Superbug Cure | Kent Sepkowitz | June 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Perhaps the dead would be novelists or homeless or researching cures for diseases.
Memorial Days After Mourning Has Passed | Alex Horton | May 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

German tobacco cures well, and some of the finer sorts make excellent cigar wrappers and are much esteemed throughout Europe.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.
Ohio tobacco of all kinds is a large plant, and cures "down" to fine colors.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.
He compares himself to a father who rescues his children from a burning house, to a physician who cures the blind.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume I | John Lord
In some cases such relief carried out for several seasons makes permanent cures.
The Treatment of Hay Fever | George Frederick Laidlaw
So I will not argue the matter at all, but simply state the result of my observation that faradic electricity cures hay-fever.
The Treatment of Hay Fever | George Frederick Laidlaw

British Dictionary definitions for cure (1 of 2)

cure

/ (kjʊə) /

verb

(tr) to get rid of (an ailment, fault, or problem); heal
(tr) to restore to health or good condition

(intr) to bring about a cure
(tr) to preserve (meat, fish, etc) by salting, smoking, etc
(tr)
- to treat or finish (a substance) by chemical or physical means
- to vulcanize (rubber)
- to allow (a polymer) to set often using heat or pressure
(tr) to assist the hardening of (concrete, mortar, etc) by keeping it moist

noun

a return to health, esp after specific treatment
any course of medical therapy, esp one proved effective in combating a disease

a means of restoring health or improving a condition, situation, etc
the spiritual and pastoral charge of a parish: the cure of souls
a process or method of preserving meat, fish, etc, by salting, pickling, or smoking

Origin of cure

(n) C13: from Old French, from Latin cūra care; in ecclesiastical sense, from Medieval Latin cūra spiritual charge; (vb) C14: from Old French curer, from Latin cūrāre to attend to, heal, from cūra care

Derived forms of cure

cureless, adjective
curer, noun

British Dictionary definitions for curé (2 of 2)

curé

/ (ˈkjʊəreɪ) /

noun

a parish priest in France

Origin of curé

French, from Medieval Latin cūrātus; see curate 1

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with cure

cure

see kill or cure; ounce of prevention (is worth a pound of cure); sure cure.

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