curve

[ kurv ]

/ kɜrv /

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.

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Idioms for 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. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for curve

The national curve of new cases is far from flat — mostly turning vertical, she noted — and the Washington region is “unfortunately catching up with other states.”
Smithsonian museums, zoo to close as coronavirus caseload in D.C. region hits record for 16th day|Dana Hedgpeth, Ovetta Wiggins|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
Eventually he and the mathematician Zsolt Lángi devised a new conjecture that sketched out the curve of all possible three-dimensional mosaics like this.
Scientists Uncover the Universal Geometry of Geology|Joshua Sokol|November 19, 2020|Quanta Magazine
So in other words, you’re obviously doing a lot, you’re doing a lot more than you were and you, and you’re still, by that count way behind the curve.
EmTech Stage: Facebook’s CTO on misinformation|Tate Ryan-Mosley|November 18, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Once you begin to carry a spear gun, an experienced dive partner and mentor will shorten the learning curve and help ensure a safe dive.
Take a stab at spearfishing with these tips|Same Romano/Outdoor Life|November 16, 2020|Popular Science

Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity separately describes gravity as curves in the space-time fabric.
What Is a Particle?|Natalie Wolchover|November 12, 2020|Quanta Magazine
The Spanish countryside, full of stone ruins and curving green hills, is a perfect hiking spot.
The Spanish Fraggle Rock: Setenil de las Bodegas Is an Andalucian Town Built Under a Rock|Nina Strochlic|January 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I followed him down a curving path, and at a turn he gave his head a jerk over his right shoulder.
Brownsmith's Boy|George Manville Fenn
Leslie saw her, and swung round the wheels on the sharp, curving hill-side; looking only to see that he should miss her.
The White Peacock|D. H. (David Herbert) Lawrence
Now I seem confronted by great orange mountains with curving ledges cut into their sides.
Micro-Man|Forrest James Ackerman
The elbows drop down until they almost touch the knees, which is partly accomplished by curving the back.
Taxidermy and Zoological Collecting|William T. Hornaday
Midway, and well to the north, where a curving course indicated an arroyo he marked “El Desierto.”
Jessica Trent: Her Life on a Ranch|Evelyn Raymond

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

Medical definitions for curve

curve

[ kûrv ]

n.

A line or surface that deviates from straightness in a smooth, continuous fashion.

Something characterized by such a line or surface, especially a rounded line or contour of the human body.

A curved line representing variations in data on a graph.

v.

To move in or take the shape of a curve.

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.

Idioms and Phrases with curve

curve

see throw a curve.

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curve

noun

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

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

adjective

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Idioms for curve

Origin of curve

OTHER WORDS FROM curve

Example sentences from the Web for curve

British Dictionary definitions for curve

noun

verb

Other words from curve

Derived forms of curve

Word Origin for curve

Medical definitions for curve

n.

v.

Scientific definitions for curve

Idioms and Phrases with curve

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

curve

noun

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

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

adjective

QUIZZES

LEARN THE SPANISH WORDS FOR THESE COMMON ANIMALS!

Idioms for curve

Origin of curve

OTHER WORDS FROM curve

Words related to curve

Example sentences from the Web for curve

British Dictionary definitions for curve

noun

verb

Other words from curve

Derived forms of curve

Word Origin for curve

Medical definitions for curve

n.

v.

Scientific definitions for curve

Idioms and Phrases with curve