curl

[ kurl ]

/ kɜrl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR curl 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.

Nearby words

curiosity killed the cat, curious, curite, curitiba, curium, curl, curl one's hair, curl up, curled paperwork, curler, curlew

Idioms

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

Related forms

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

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

British Dictionary definitions for curl up (1 of 2)

curl up

verb (adverb)

(intr) to adopt a reclining position with the legs close to the body and the back rounded

to become or cause to become spiral-shaped or curved

(intr) to retire to a quiet cosy settingto curl up with a good novel

British informal to be or cause to be embarrassed or disgusted (esp in the phrase curl up and die)

British Dictionary definitions for curl up (2 of 2)

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

Idioms and Phrases with curl up

curl up

Assume a position with the legs drawn up; settle down for sleep in this posture. For example, I love to curl up with a good book. [c. 1900]

curl up and die. Retreat, collapse, die, as in At first the horse was ahead but in the home stretch she curled up and died, or I'll just curl up and die if he shows up. This colorful expression for collapsing or dying is often used hyperbolically (second example). [Early 1900s]

curl someone up. Kill someone, as in The sheriff said he'd curl up that outlaw. This usage originated as cowboy slang in the second half of the 1800s.

curl

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Verb Phrases

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Idioms

Origin of curl

Related forms

British Dictionary definitions for curl up (1 of 2)

curl up

verb (adverb)

British Dictionary definitions for curl up (2 of 2)

curl

verb

noun

Word Origin for curl

Idioms and Phrases with curl up

curl up