Etymology
Origin of curse word
First recorded in 1870–75
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.
“I never said a curse word or stood up or threatened anyone, but it was hot under the collar, and I regret that,” Dorph said.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 17, 2023
But having solved the mystery of her mother, Jo chooses to return to her responsibilities in the terrestrial, persecutory world where magic is a curse word.
From New York Times • Aug. 9, 2022
Raphael Bostic, president of the Atlanta Federal Reserve, joked Tuesday in separate remarks that “transitory” is now seen as the equivalent of a curse word at the Atlanta Fed.
From Washington Times • Oct. 13, 2021
Said Michael: “In my entire life I never heard my brother say one curse word, nothing, not even ‘damn.’
From Washington Post • Jun. 16, 2020
It was much worse than any curse word, they told us.
From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
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.
