curl
Americanverb (used with object)
-
curls,
present (3rd person singular)
-
curled,
past participle, past
-
curling
present participle
-
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)
-
curls,
present (3rd person singular)
-
curled,
past participle, past
-
curling
present participle
-
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
-
curls
plural
-
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 phrase
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.
verb
-
(intr) (esp of hair) to grow into curves or ringlets
-
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; coil
the heat made the leaves curl up
-
(intr) to move in a curving or twisting manner
-
(intr) to play the game of curling
-
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 A Compare divergence gradient
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
curlsimple
-
curlssimple
-
have curledperfect
-
has curledperfect
-
am curlingprogressive
-
are curlingprogressive
-
is curlingprogressive
-
have been curlingperfect progressive
-
has been curlingperfect progressive
Past
-
curledsimple
-
had curledperfect
-
was curlingprogressive
-
were curlingprogressive
-
had been curlingperfect progressive
Future
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."
Vocabulary lists containing curl
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.
See Examples For:
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
You can touch the tiny lanterns to hear a story in each scene or simply curl up in the soft green fuzzy chair, close the velvet curtains and let your imagination wander.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026
As this strain is released, the layers peel apart and curl into tight scrolls.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 31, 2026
The goal to make it 4-0 was a work of art as the 33-year-old used his left foot to curl a sublime effort into the top corner from outside the box.
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026
Maybe he should just climb back down and curl up into a ball.
From I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 by Lauren Tarshis
Ms Mullan described her daughter Amelia as "a ray of sunshine," who "had the most beautiful curls and a creativity that shone through everything that she did".
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 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
Her tangle of blonde curls shakes with laughter.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Although it’s his version of normal, Randolph said he wouldn’t blame the boy if Carter curled up in a ball and sulked about it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
Pro 7, which ran an advertising campaign in which their mascot held an Olympic flame or curled, skated or bob-sledded down a supermarket aisle, was fined a total of 550,000 euros.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
SEATTLE—Gio Reyna had just curled home the fourth goal in the U.S. national team’s World Cup opener when he ran toward the fans and covered his ears.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
On the morning of Sept. 16, 2024, Emily Waldorf’s preschooler found her curled on the bathroom floor.
From Salon ● May 27, 2026
He was large and wolf-like, with a thick gray mane and a tail that curled over his back.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
“The daily chart shows that momentum is curling higher after Tuesday’s shakeout,” the senior market analyst notes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
His first goal had a touch of fortune as he latched onto Dembele's deflected shot, but his second was a thunderous finish before he completed his hat-trick with a delightful, curling effort.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
The final putt — two feet, 10 inches — was appropriately dramatic, teetering along the left edge before curling back into the cup.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
"We saw smoke curling, emitting from the forest," said Justin, a former deputy director of the government's Anthropological Survey of India.
From Barron's ● May 18, 2026
The rat’s beady eyes watched Clare’s expression, his whiskers curling in a conspiring grin.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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.
