uncurl

American

[uhn-kurl] / ʌnˈkɜrl /

verb (used with or without object)

to straighten or become straightened out from a curl or curled position.

uncurl British

/ ʌnˈkɜːl /

verb

to move or cause to move out of a curled or rolled up position

"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

Etymology

Origin of uncurl

First recorded in 1580–90; un- ² + curl

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.

Dole eventually learned that he could grip a pen in his right fingers, a technique he used to mask the fact that he couldn’t uncurl them.

From Washington Post • Jun. 4, 2021

Salgado’s hands began to uncurl and I brought markers and scrapbooks.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 22, 2019

They do have different personalities: some don’t want to uncurl, while others are brave and want to explore.

From The Guardian • May 10, 2019

Gradually - and very, very cautiously - one of those balls begins to uncurl, revealing two blackcurrant eyes, a long snout, an even longer tail and a soft pink belly.

From BBC • Feb. 4, 2015

Ear said, watching Arm uncurl from the chair.

From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023