curve

[ kurv ]

/ kɜrv /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: curve / curved / curves / curving on Thesaurus.com

noun

a continuously bending line, without angles.

the act or extent of curving.

any curved outline, form, thing, or part.

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

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 ).

Baseball.

curveball.
the path followed by a ball pitched as a curveball: The curve on that ball was nasty!

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

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

a misleading or deceptive trick; cheat; deception.

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.Compare absolute (def. 10).

a curved guide used in drafting.

verb (used with object), curved, curv·ing.

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

to grade on a curve.

verb (used without object), curved, curv·ing.

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

Baseball. to pitch a curveball: After two forkballs, Stewart curved to Hernandez for a called strike.

adjective

having the shape of a curve; curved.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about curve

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

flatten the curve. See entry at flatten the curve.

throw (someone) a curve,

to take (someone) by surprise, especially in a negative way.
to mislead or deceive.

Origin of curve

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

OTHER WORDS FROM curve

curv·ed·ly

[kur-vid-lee], /ˈkɜr vɪd li/, adverbcurv·ed·ness, nouncurve·less, adjectiveun·curved, adjective

un·curv·ing, adjectiveun·der·curve, nounun·der·curve, verb (used without object), un·der·curved, un·der·curv·ing.well-curved, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use curve in a sentence

You know, instead of you, you know, really easy decisions, they move on to misinformation and really vague things and evaluating dangerous groups and that sort of moving people up the difficulty curve is, is also improving things.
EmTech Stage: Facebook’s CTO on misinformation|Tate Ryan-Mosley|November 18, 2020|MIT Technology Review
We have served as a model for bending the curve of infections through rigorous infection-control practices.
As pandemic raged and thousands died, government regulators cleared most nursing homes of infection-control violations|Debbie Cenziper, Joel Jacobs, Shawn Mulcahy|October 29, 2020|Washington Post
La Russa went on to win one World Series title with the Oakland Athletics and two with the Cardinals, gaining a reputation for being ahead of the curve in strategic deployments such as bullpen specialization.
Baseball has changed since the last time Tony La Russa was a manager. Can he change with it?|Dave Sheinin|October 29, 2020|Washington Post
In Indonesia, we do like the intermediate part of the curve so maybe toward the 10-year.
BlackRock is betting against the Greenback—regardless of who wins the U.S. election|kdunn6|October 27, 2020|Fortune

Though he had his best season in three years according to WAR per 162 games, Kershaw will be 33 next season, an area of the aging curve in which pitchers typically see their strikeouts drop and their FIPs rise.
What To Watch For In One Of The Most Intriguing World Series Ever|Neil Paine (neil.paine@fivethirtyeight.com)|October 20, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Wielding a curved knife, a young man navigates past the aging structures and into the forest.
The Congo's Forgotten Colonial Getaway|Nina Strochlic|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His spine was curved, indicating the condition known as scoliosis.
Three Dicks: Cheney, Nixon, Richard III and the Art of Reputation Rehab|Clive Irving|July 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Roll-neck designs were made in fine pleats with arms buried in folds of curved material.
Comme Des Garçons, Kenzo, and More Japanese Designers at Paris Fashion Week|Liza Foreman|March 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Reporters call it "the fishbowl": the building is curved, and the entire area is fronted by glass.
Toronto Mayor: I Was Drunk When I Did Crack|Hamutal Dotan|November 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He created the curved Virgule heel as a signature, to differentiate his work post-Dior.
Shoes Fit For A Museum: Roger Vivier’s Virigule Show Opens at Palais De Tokyo|Sarah Moroz|October 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Her eyes were blazing with triumph, yet her lips curved with contempt at the attitude of her trembling father.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
He curved his hand round mine, and told me as long as I played right, his hand would not interfere with mine.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
In shape it is curved, like those things for candles attached to upright pianos, but with a weighted foot to hold it firm.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
They are straight or curved rods, which vary markedly in size and outline, and stain very irregularly (Fig. 123).
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Lettice, he saw, was lying with a cigarette against the bank of sloping sand that curved above them.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood

British Dictionary definitions for curve

curve

/ (kɜːv) /

noun

a continuously bending line that has no straight parts

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

the act or extent of curving; curvature

maths

a system of points whose coordinates satisfy a given equation; a locus of points
the graph of a function with one independent variable

a line representing data, esp statistical data, on a graphan unemployment curve

ahead of the curve ahead of the times; ahead of schedule

behind the curve behind the times; behind schedule

short for French curve

verb

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

Other words from curve

Related adjective: sinuous

Derived forms of curve

curvedly (ˈkɜːvɪdlɪ), adverbcurvedness, nouncurvy, adjective

Word Origin for curve

C15: from Latin curvāre to bend, from curvus crooked

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

Scientific definitions for curve

curve

[ kûrv ]

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

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with curve

curve

see throw a curve.

curve

Idioms about curve

Origin of curve

OTHER WORDS FROM curve

Words related to curve

How to use curve in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for curve

Other words from curve

Derived forms of curve

Word Origin for curve

Scientific definitions for curve

Other Idioms and Phrases with curve