Showing results for "curve"

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Slang dictionary results for curve.

curve

American  

[kurv] / kɜrv /

noun

• curves
  plural

1. a continuously bending line, without angles.

2. the act or extent of curving.

3. any curved outline, form, thing, or part.

4. a curved section of a road, path, hallway, etc.

5. Railroads. a curved section of track: in the U.S. the curve is often expressed as the central angle, measured in degrees, of a curved section of track subtended by a chord 100 feet (30 meters) long degree of curve.

6. Baseball.

   1. curveball.

   2. the path followed by a ball pitched as a curveball.

      The curve on that ball was nasty!

7. a graphic representation of the variations effected in something by the influence of changing conditions; graph.

8. Mathematics. a collection of points whose coordinates are continuous functions of a single independent variable.

9. a misleading or deceptive trick; cheat; deception.

10. Education. a grading system based on the scale of performance, so that those performing better relative to others in the group, regardless of their actual knowledge of the subject, receive high grades.

    The new English professor grades on a curve.

11. a curved guide used in drafting.

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verb (used with object)

• curves,
  present (3rd person singular)
• curved,
  past participle,  past
• curving
  present participle

1. to bend in a curve; cause to take the course of a curve.

2. to grade on a curve.

verb (used without object)

• curves,
  present (3rd person singular)
• curved,
  past participle,  past
• curving
  present participle

1. to bend in a curve; take the course of a curve.

2. Baseball. to pitch a curveball.

   After two forkballs, Stewart curved to Hernandez for a called strike.

adjective

1. having the shape of a curve; curved.

idioms

1. throw (someone) a curve,

   1. to take (someone) by surprise, especially in a negative way.

   2. to mislead or deceive.

2. flatten the curve. see flatten the curve.

3. ahead of / behind the curve, at the forefront of (or lagging behind) recent developments, trends, etc.

curve British  

/ ˈkɜːvɪdlɪ, kɜːv /

noun

1. a continuously bending line that has no straight parts

2. something that curves or is curved, such as a bend in a road or the contour of a woman's body

3. the act or extent of curving; curvature

4. maths

   1. a system of points whose coordinates satisfy a given equation; a locus of points

   2. the graph of a function with one independent variable

5. a line representing data, esp statistical data, on a graph

   an unemployment curve

6. ahead of the times; ahead of schedule

7. behind the times; behind schedule

8. short for French curve

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verb

1. to take or cause to take the shape or path of a curve; bend

curve Scientific  

/ kûrv /

1. A line or surface that bends in a smooth, continuous way without sharp angles.

2. The graph of a function on a coordinate plane. In this technical sense, straight lines, circles, and waves are all curves.

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curve More Idioms  

1. see throw a curve.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• curvedness
  noun
• undercurve
  noun
• undercurve
  verb (used without object)
• curveless
  adjective
• curvy
  adjective
• uncurved
  adjective
• uncurving
  adjective
• well-curved
  adjective
• curvedly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• curves
  plural

Participles

• curving
  present
• curved
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• curve
  simple
• curves
  simple
• have curved
  perfect
• has curved
  perfect
• am curving
  progressive
• are curving
  progressive
• is curving
  progressive
• have been curving
  perfect progressive
• has been curving
  perfect progressive

Past

• curved
  simple
• had curved
  perfect
• was curving
  progressive
• were curving
  progressive
• had been curving
  perfect progressive

Future

• will curve
  simple
• will have curved
  perfect
• will be curving
  progressive
• will have been curving
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of curve

First recorded in 1565–75; from Middle French or directly from Latin curvus “crooked, bent, curved”

Explanation

A curve is an arched or bent shape, like the curve of a smiling mouth or the curve of a road that twists and turns as you drive along the coast. As a noun, a curve can be any shape that deviates from being perfectly straight. You can trace a curve on a graph, throw an arcing pitch in baseball called a curve ball, or just admire the curves of the rolling hills in the distance. And as a verb, curve means to make or form this non-straight shape: "When she's happy, my dog's tail curves up over her back."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

curve curves curved curving

Shell pointed out that Treasurys have recently outperformed swaps, a sign that investors are gravitating back toward the longer end of the curve.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026

But she also faced a steep learning curve as a first-time candidate.

From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026

Treasury curve, caused by long-dated yields staying elevated.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

You might say that’s mawkish, or that I’m grading on a curve for a first-time filmmaker.

From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026

As your approximations of the tangent lines get better and better, the points on the curve you use to create the approximations get closer together.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

"We have to understand that we're heading for catastrophe if we don't bend the curves" of greenhouse gas emissions, Jouzel said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

Like the trail, it’s a place with steep learning curves.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

The redesigned robotaxi’s interior has a lighter color palette, aimed at creating a calmer and more relaxing environment, and added padding and ergonomic curves in the seats and headrests.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

At this point, customer adoption curves are the best indicator of whether the technology and the market are ready for mass rollout.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026

He slid in graceful curves past the bowing snakes and the Brown Bear, towards Mary Poppins.

From "Mary Poppins" by P. L. Travers

Designed to blend into the historic Baroque park, they are notable for their curved ceramic facades, daylight from skylights, accessibility features, drinking fountains -- and free use.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

Additionally, the home has a den, built-in storage, curved staircase, outdoor movie pavilion, and 50-foot-long lap pool designed by Johnston Vidal.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

A robotic voice tells me to stay still and close my eyes as I stand in a huge curved scanner while classical music plays in the background.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

Binoculars or a small telescope can provide a closer look as the curved edge of Earth's shadow moves across the lunar surface.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026

Underneath me, the tub’s curved bottom had become damp grass, the musk of dirt and stagnant water in my nostrils.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

By curving his run, Amad cuts off the passing angle to PSG's wide player whilst applying pressure to Axel Koukaba.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

But it soon began curving around the Arctic Ocean arriving in Iceland in the early evening before sweeping southwards to treat the UK to part of its wonder.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

The incident occurred around 11:20 p.m. on the wide, curving interchange road that connects the eastbound 105 Freeway to the southbound 110 Freeway leading to San Pedro, the CHP said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

To Baier he said: “My prediction is that, first quarter, second quarter, what we are going to see, we have brought this inflation down, it is curving down.”

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 19, 2025

Lace doilies covered everything, and the furniture was handmade in a style that favored curving lines and dark woods.

From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland

Related Words

• bend
• buckle
• bulge
• coil
• crumple
• curl
• loop
• skew
• spiral
• swerve
• twist
• veer