Showing results for "curling"

• present participle of curl.

curling

American  

[kur-ling] / ˈkɜr lɪŋ /

noun

• curlings
  plural

1. a game played on ice in which two teams of four players each compete in sliding curling stones toward a mark in the center of a circular target.

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curling British  

/ ˈkɜːlɪŋ /

noun

1. a game played on ice, esp in Scotland and Canada, in which heavy stones with handles ( curling stones ) are slid towards a target ( tee )

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Usage

What is curling? Curling is a sport, played on ice, that involves trying to slide a heavy round stone object (called a curling stone) to the center of a target area on the ice. It is typically played by two four-player teams. Teams take turns sliding stones (which have a handle and are usually made of granite) toward the circular target area (the area is known as the house and its center is known as the button or the tee). Points are scored by the team that gets a stone closest to the button. Any other stones that are closer than the opposing team’s closest stone also result in points. During each turn, one player slides a stone down the ice while up to three of the other players on the team slide along with the stone while attempting to manipulate its speed and direction by sweeping the ice in its path with broomlike brushes. Sweeping the ice helps the stone to travel farther and straighter. Strategy involves not only placing one’s own stones, but also knocking away opponent’s stones. Curling matches, sometimes called bonspiels, consist of multiple rounds, with multiple stone slides from each team during each round. Curling is an event in the Winter Olympics. Wheelchair curling is an event in the Paralympic Winter Games. Curling is especially popular in Scotland, Canada, and some Scandinavian countries. Example: The Winter Olympics are coming up, which means I’ll be watching a lot of curling.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• curlings
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of curling

First recorded in 1610–20; perhaps curl + -ing ¹, from the motion imparted to the sliding stones

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

curling curlings

Hobbits “seldom wore shoes, since their feet had tough leathery soles and were clad in a thick curling hair.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

Wendy the coyote was a fixture in the San Fernando Valley community for years, often spotted wandering around the neighborhood or curling up to sunbathe in a patch of grass, he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

Cole Palmer: Scored with a wonderful curling effort in the 75th minute.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

The propulsive groove on “Another Life” evokes a thudding drum break pulled from a dusty groove pressed in the early ’70s, as Ms. Howard sings forcefully, moving between a curling falsetto and a feral howl.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

I gripped onto the edge of my seat, curling my fingers into the gaps between the wires.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

Her form by its endless shiftings uttered delicate phrases of pleasure, surprise, or love; her hands and fingers were orators, and eloquent were the curlings and tappings of her Arab feet.

From Idolatry A Romance by Julian Hawthorne

Small red and yellow spots with puckerings and curlings of the young leaves of Pears, the spots turning darker later on, are due to Phytoptus.

From Disease in Plants by H. Marshall Ward

But should he forget this precaution, never can the dream be brought back to memory: as well try to re-form the curlings of a smoke- wreath blown away.

From Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan Second Series by Lafcadio Hearn

Alexander Crandall quickly appeared, in a hide apron covered with curlings of wood.

From Mountain Blood A Novel by Joseph Hergesheimer

In thin curlings, the gray smoke floated upwards and lay slumberously among the fleecy clouds.

From Ernest Linwood or, The Inner Life of the Author by Caroline Lee Hentz

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Related Words

• crooked
• curved
• meandering
• sinuous
• twisting
• winding

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