curl

American  

[kurl] / kɜrl /

verb (used with object)

• curls,
  present (3rd person singular)
• curled,
  past participle,  past
• curling
  present participle

1. to form into coils or ringlets, as the hair.

2. to form into a spiral or curved shape; coil.

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

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verb (used without object)

• curls,
  present (3rd person singular)
• curled,
  past participle,  past
• curling
  present participle

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

2. to become curved or undulated.

3. to coil.

4. to play at the game of curling.

5. to progress in a curving direction or path; move in a curving or spiraling way.

   The ball curled toward the plate.

noun

• curls
  plural

1. a coil or ringlet of hair.

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

3. a coil.

4. the act of curling or state of being curled.

5. Plant Pathology.

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

   2. a disease so characterized.

6. Also called rotation. Mathematics.

   1. 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.

   2. the operation that produces this vector.

7. Weightlifting.

   1. 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.

   2. a similar forearm lift using a dumbbell or dumbbells, usually from the side of the body to the shoulders.

verb phrase

1. curl up to sit or lie down cozily.

   to curl up with a good book.

idioms

1. curl one's lip, to assume or display an expression of contempt.

   He curled his lip in disdain.

2. 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.

curl British  

/ kɜːl /

verb

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

2. to twist or roll (something, esp hair) into coils or ringlets

3. (often foll by up) to become or cause to become spiral-shaped or curved; coil

   the heat made the leaves curl up

4. (intr) to move in a curving or twisting manner

5. (intr) to play the game of curling

6. to show contempt, as by raising a corner of the lip

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noun

1. a curve or coil of hair

2. a curved or spiral shape or mark, as in wood

3. the act of curling or state of being curled

4. any of various plant diseases characterized by curling of the leaves

5. 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 A Compare divergence gradient

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• curledness
  noun
• undercurl
  noun
• intercurl
  verb
• undercurl
  verb
• well-curled
  adjective
• curledly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• curls
  plural

Participles

• curling
  present
• curled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• curl
  simple
• curls
  simple
• have curled
  perfect
• has curled
  perfect
• am curling
  progressive
• are curling
  progressive
• is curling
  progressive
• have been curling
  perfect progressive
• has been curling
  perfect progressive

Past

• curled
  simple
• had curled
  perfect
• was curling
  progressive
• were curling
  progressive
• had been curling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will curl
  simple
• will have curled
  perfect
• will be curling
  progressive
• will have been curling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of curl

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, apparently back formation from curled, variant of Middle English crulled (past participle) crul (adjective); compare Middle Dutch crullen “to curl”; see also cruller ”

Explanation

Things that curl bend in a spiral or circular shape. When you curl your hair, you use heat to make it wavy and coiled. You can curl a lock of hair around your finger, or curl your body up in a chair. You can also call the shape you're forming a curl. A completely different way to curl is to play the Olympic sport known as curling, which is a little like shuffleboard on ice. The sport comes from Scotland, and the word probably comes from the Middle Dutch krul, "curly."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

curl curls curled curling

Parts of this road curl in on themselves into tight, technical twisties — catnip to car enthusiasts and motorcyclists.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Clouds billow and curl; chariots race upward, representing sutras that may deliver you to heaven.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

The ETF remains well above its 200-day simple moving average, and the 21-day exponential moving average has begun to curl lower.

From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026

As this strain is released, the layers peel apart and curl into tight scrolls.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 31, 2026

“I’m here, Mother,” I yip, and curl myself beside her, rubbing into her body.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

“I’ll often do a few quick curls before going out if I didn’t hit arms earlier that day,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

It was the little curls I tucked behind her ears, the wispy strands that caught the sunlight, and all the ordinary moments I never imagined I’d miss.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026

She is standing in front of The Barefoot Contessa with her dark hair coaxed into perky curls, wearing a matching aubergine button-down and skirt.

From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026

So when he heard on social media that Germans were congregating in Times Square, Altmeks readily pulled on a jersey of his hero Rudi Voller -- plus a wig mimicking the famed striker's blond curls.

From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026

She pressed her hand on his head and mussed up his soft curls.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

She slept in the cafe, her thin frame curled up in a red vinyl booth.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

“In response,” he writes, “I courageously curled up into the smallest ball I could possibly have imagined and tucked myself into the footwell.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

The professor "curled into a ball" in her office and "just sobbed" upon hearing of the death.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

Would you buy a cauliflower that looks like it's been sunburnt or a cucumber that's curled back on itself?

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

He wanted to jump up and whoop with joy, but Thor was curled up and asleep in the sling, and a good skunk caretaker would never startle his kit like that.

From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold

Wendy the coyote was a fixture in the San Fernando Valley community for years, often spotted wandering around the neighborhood or curling up to sunbathe in a patch of grass, he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

Serena Ventures has met with potential investment targets from travel startups to a curling league.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

A little shimmy in the area to feint away from a defender, then a precise curling finish into the top corner.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

He unleashed a curling strike that found the back of the net, saving Argentina once again on its way to a 3-1 victory.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

Regret flashed on Nine’s face, but he waved it off, curling his lips around his corn-yellow teeth.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Related Words

• buckle
• coil
• contort
• curve
• fold
• twirl
• twist
• writhe