curve

[ kurv ]

/ kɜrv /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR curve 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).

Also called curve ball, curveball. Baseball.

a pitch delivered with a spin that causes the ball to veer from a normal straight path, away from the side from which it was thrown.
the course of such a pitched ball.

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 of a group, so that those performing better, regardless of their actual knowledge of the subject, receive high grades: The new English professor marks 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.

Baseball. to pitch a curve to.

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

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

adjective

having the shape of a curve; curved.

Nearby words

Idioms

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

throw (someone) a curve,

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

Origin of curve

1565–75; (< Middle French) < Latin curvus crooked, bent, curved

Related forms

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for curving

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 curving

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

Related formsRelated adjective: sinuous

Derived Formscurvedly (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

Word Origin and History for curving (1 of 2)

curve

1690s, "curved line," from curve (v.). With reference to the female figure (usually plural, curves), from 1862; as a type of baseball pitch, from 1879.

Word Origin and History for curving (1 of 2)

curve

early 15c. (implied in curved), from Latin curvus "crooked, curved, bent," and curvare "to bend," both from PIE root *(s)ker- "to turn, bend" (see ring (n.)).

Medicine definitions for curving

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.

Science definitions for curving

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 curving

curve

see throw a curve.

curve

noun

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

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

adjective

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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of curve

Examples from the Web for curving

British Dictionary definitions for curving

curve

noun

verb

Word Origin for curve

Word Origin and History for curving (1 of 2)

curve

Word Origin and History for curving (1 of 2)

curve

Medicine definitions for curving

curve

n.

v.

Science definitions for curving

curve

Idioms and Phrases with curving

curve