curl

[ kurl ]

/ kɜrl /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: curl / curled / curling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to form into coils or ringlets, as the hair.

to form into a spiral or curved shape; coil.

to adorn with, or as with, curls or ringlets.

verb (used without object)

to grow in or form curls or ringlets, as the hair.

to become curved or undulated.

to coil.

to play at the game of curling.

to progress in a curving direction or path; move in a curving or spiraling way: The ball curled toward the plate.

noun

a coil or ringlet of hair.

anything of a spiral or curved shape, as a lettuce leaf, wood shaving, etc.

a coil.

the act of curling or state of being curled.

Plant Pathology.

the distortion, fluting, or puffing of a leaf, resulting from the unequal development of its two sides.
a disease so characterized.

Also called rotation. Mathematics.

a vector obtained from a given vector by taking its cross product with the vector whose coordinates are the partial derivative operators with respect to each coordinate.
the operation that produces this vector.

Weightlifting.

an underhand forearm lift in which the barbell, held against the thighs, is raised to the chest and then lowered while keeping the legs, upper arms, and shoulders taut.
a similar forearm lift using a dumbbell or dumbbells, usually from the side of the body to the shoulders.

Verb Phrases

curl up, to sit or lie down cozily: to curl up with a good book.

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about curl

curl one's lip, to assume or display an expression of contempt: He curled his lip in disdain.

curl one's / the hair, to fill with horror or fright; shock: Some of his stories about sailing across the Atlantic are enough to curl one's hair.

Origin of curl

1400–50; late Middle English, apparently back formation from curled, metathetic variant of Middle English crulled (past participle) crul (adj.); compare Middle Dutch crullen to curl, cruller

OTHER WORDS FROM curl

curl·ed·ly

[kur-lid-lee, kurld-], /ˈkɜr lɪd li, ˈkɜrld-/, adverbcurl·ed·ness, nounin·ter·curl, verbun·der·curl, noun

un·der·curl, verbwell-curled, adjective

Words nearby curl

Curiosity killed the cat, curious, curite, Curitiba, curium, curl, curled paperwork, curler, curlew, curlew sandpiper, Curley

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use curl in a sentence

Prose’s algorithm can match a user’s unique hair to one of more than 14,000 formulations of customized curl styling cream.
The 10 most exceptional personal care products from 2020|By Rachel Feltman and Jordan Blok|December 4, 2020|Popular-Science
The way the teeth are designed, it doesn’t disrupt the curl in the process like other brushes.
The $10 Product Behind Batwoman’s Perfect Curls|cmurray|November 23, 2020|Essence.com
Whether you have wavy hair, straight hair, curly hair, hair, it will expand your curl into an amazing texture.
The $10 Product Behind Batwoman’s Perfect Curls|cmurray|November 23, 2020|Essence.com
I set-up my ring light, beat my face, put some gel in my chemo curls and facilitated my own photo shoot in the living room with my iPhone.
The Anatomy Of A Breast Cancer Survivor: ‘Early Detection Saved My Life’|Charli Penn|October 6, 2020|Essence.com

I wore a wig everyday which I loving named Ruby, her curls worked just as hard as I did!
Here’s The Beauty Routine Behind Laura Harrier’s Flawless Skin|Allison McGevna|October 5, 2020|Essence.com
The only surprise was the left collar point, which was allowed to curl.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Poetry is no longer something we curl up to with a cup of tea.
Americans Have Never Loved Poetry More—But They Call It Rap|John McWhorter|June 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Jonathan Coulton's song "Curl," with footage of Stephen Colbert trying out for the 2010 U.S. Curling Team.
Curling: Your New Olympic Addiction, Explained|Brett Singer|February 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Or to put it another way, sweeping helps make the stone not curl.
Curling: Your New Olympic Addiction, Explained|Brett Singer|February 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The smoke from his cigarette will curl around his head and nothing else near him will move, and you will wonder what he sees.
The Stacks: John Schulian’s Classic Profile of Newspaper Columnist Mike Royko|John Schulian|January 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As soon as they begin to curl a little, they are thrown upon large planks, and each single leaf is rolled together.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
He was an apprentice to a wig and curl maker, when Whitefield attracted his attention, and he became a methodist preacher.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
If we apply heat to this balance the greater expansion of the brass portion of its rim would cause the free ends to curl inward.
The Wonder Book of Knowledge|Various
His cheek-bones were as high as those of the Indian, but his skin was lighter in color, and his hair had a tendency to curl.
Mystery Ranch|Arthur Chapman
And now it was Louis's turn to let his sharp little beard curl up in impotent anger.
God Wills It!|William Stearns Davis

British Dictionary definitions for curl

curl

/ (kɜːl) /

verb

(intr) (esp of hair) to grow into curves or ringlets

(tr sometimes foll by up) to twist or roll (something, esp hair) into coils or ringlets

(often foll by up) to become or cause to become spiral-shaped or curved; coilthe heat made the leaves curl up

(intr) to move in a curving or twisting manner

(intr) to play the game of curling

curl one's lip to show contempt, as by raising a corner of the lip

noun

a curve or coil of hair

a curved or spiral shape or mark, as in wood

the act of curling or state of being curled

any of various plant diseases characterized by curling of the leaves

Also called: rot, rotation maths a vector quantity associated with a vector field that is the vector product of the operator ∇ and a vector function A, where ∇ = i ∂/∂ x + j ∂/∂b y + k ∂/∂ z, i, j, and k being unit vectors. Usually written curl A, rot ACompare divergence (def. 4), gradient (def. 4)

Word Origin for curl

C14: probably from Middle Dutch crullen to curl; related to Middle High German krol curly, Middle Low German krūs curly

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

curl

Idioms about curl

Origin of curl

OTHER WORDS FROM curl

Words nearby curl

Words related to curl

How to use curl in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for curl

Word Origin for curl