curse

[kurs]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR curse ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the expression of a wish that misfortune, evil, doom, etc., befall a person, group, etc.

a formula or charm intended to cause such misfortune to another.

the act of reciting such a formula.

a profane oath; curse word.

an evil that has been invoked upon one.

the cause of evil, misfortune, or trouble.

something accursed.

Slang. the menstrual period; menstruation (usually preceded by the).

an ecclesiastical censure or anathema.

verb (used with object), cursed or curst, curs·ing.

to wish or invoke evil, calamity, injury, or destruction upon.

to swear at.

to blaspheme.

to afflict with great evil.

to excommunicate.

verb (used without object), cursed or curst, curs·ing.

to utter curses; swear profanely.

Origin of curse

before 1050; Middle English curs (noun), cursen (verb), Old English curs (noun), cursian (verb), of disputed origin

Related formscurs·er, nounout·curse, verb (used with object), out·cursed, out·curs·ing.un·curs·ing, adjective

Can be confusedcoarse course cursecurse cuss

Synonyms for curse

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR curse ON THESAURUS.COM

1, 9. imprecation, execration, fulmination, malediction. 5. misfortune, calamity, trouble. 5, 6. bane, scourge, plague, affliction, torment. 13. plague, scourge, afflict, doom.

Synonym study

10, 12. Curse, blaspheme, swear are often interchangeable in the sense of using profane language. However, curse is the general word for the heartfelt invoking or angry calling down of evil on another: to curse an enemy. To blaspheme is to speak contemptuously or with abuse of God or of sacred things: to blaspheme openly. To swear is to use the name of God or of some holy person or thing as an exclamation to add force or show anger: to swear in every sentence.

Antonyms for curse

1, 9. blessing, benediction. 10. bless.

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

Related Words for curse

bane, obscenity, expletive, profanity, whammy, disaster, scourge, evil, calamity, burden, jinx, cuss, obloquy, malediction, execration, sacrilege, blasphemy, profanation, commination, imprecation

Examples from the Web for curse

Contemporary Examples of curse

However, these “potty-mouthed princesses” curse like proverbial sailors to prove a point.
Marcel the Shell Returns, Potty-Mouthed Princesses, and More Viral Videos
Alex Chancey
October 25, 2014
His memory is encyclopedic--a curse for a man who feels persecuted.
Will the Real Jim Palmer Please Stand Up
Tom Boswell
September 27, 2014
For much of our political history, the “third term” curse was non-existent.
Political Mythbusting: Third Term’s the Charm
Jeff Greenfield
August 24, 2014
Throwing out a ceremonial first pitch has always been a blessing and a curse.
Viral Video of the Day: Chrissy Teigen's Drunken Dodger Pitch
Jack Holmes
August 7, 2014
The remoteness of the area has been both its curse and its blessing throughout history.
Iraq’s Long-Lost Mythical Temple Has Been Found…and Is In Danger of Disappearing Again
Nina Strochlic
July 24, 2014

Historical Examples of curse

The day which his Maker intended as a blessing, man has converted into a curse.
Sunday under Three Heads
Charles Dickens
The school is a prison in which work is a punishment and a curse.
A Treatise on Parents and Children
George Bernard Shaw
I found the story of the Bacillus, the curse that killed Darmstetter, that killed Helen.
The Bacillus of Beauty
Harriet Stark
I flung it upon the floor with a curse and threw myself back on my bed with a groan.
Green Mansions
W. H. Hudson
It was like one of those old incantations; almost like a curse.
Dust
Mr. and Mrs. Haldeman-Julius

British Dictionary definitions for curse

curse

noun

a profane or obscene expression of anger, disgust, surprise, etc; oath

an appeal to a supernatural power for harm to come to a specific person, group, etc

harm resulting from an appeal to a supernatural powerto be under a curse

something that brings or causes great trouble or harm

a saying, charm, effigy, etc, used to invoke a curse

an ecclesiastical censure of excommunication

the curse informal menstruation or a menstrual period

verb curses, cursing, cursed or archaic curst

(intr) to utter obscenities or oaths

(tr) to abuse (someone) with obscenities or oaths

(tr) to invoke supernatural powers to bring harm to (someone or something)

(tr) to bring harm upon

(tr) another word for excommunicate

Derived Formscurser, noun

Word Origin for curse

Old English cursian to curse, from curs a curse

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

Word Origin and History for curse

late Old English curs "a prayer that evil or harm befall one," of uncertain origin, perhaps from Old French curuz "anger," or Latin cursus "course." Connection with cross is unlikely. No similar word exists in Germanic, Romance, or Celtic. Curses as a histrionic exclamation is from 1885. The curse "menstruation" is from 1930. Curse of Scotland, the 9 of diamonds in cards, is attested from 1791, but the origin is obscure.

Old English cursian, from the source of curse (n.). Meaning "to swear profanely" is from early 13c. Related: Cursed; cursing.