curl
Americanverb (used with object)
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to form into coils or ringlets, as the hair.
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to form into a spiral or curved shape; coil.
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to adorn with, or as with, curls or ringlets.
verb (used without object)
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to grow in or form curls or ringlets, as the hair.
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to become curved or undulated.
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to coil.
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to play at the game of curling.
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to progress in a curving direction or path; move in a curving or spiraling way.
The ball curled toward the plate.
noun
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a coil or ringlet of hair.
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anything of a spiral or curved shape, as a lettuce leaf, wood shaving, etc.
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a coil.
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the act of curling or state of being curled.
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Plant Pathology.
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the distortion, fluting, or puffing of a leaf, resulting from the unequal development of its two sides.
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a disease so characterized.
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Also called rotation. Mathematics.
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a vector obtained from a given vector by taking its cross product with the vector whose coordinates are the partial derivative operators with respect to each coordinate.
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the operation that produces this vector.
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Weightlifting.
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an underhand forearm lift in which the barbell, held against the thighs, is raised to the chest and then lowered while keeping the legs, upper arms, and shoulders taut.
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a similar forearm lift using a dumbbell or dumbbells, usually from the side of the body to the shoulders.
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verb phrase
idioms
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curl one's lip, to assume or display an expression of contempt.
He curled his lip in disdain.
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curl one's / the hair, to fill with horror or fright; shock.
Some of his stories about sailing across the Atlantic are enough to curl one's hair.
verb
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(intr) (esp of hair) to grow into curves or ringlets
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to twist or roll (something, esp hair) into coils or ringlets
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(often foll by up) to become or cause to become spiral-shaped or curved; coil
the heat made the leaves curl up
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(intr) to move in a curving or twisting manner
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(intr) to play the game of curling
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to show contempt, as by raising a corner of the lip
noun
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a curve or coil of hair
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a curved or spiral shape or mark, as in wood
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the act of curling or state of being curled
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any of various plant diseases characterized by curling of the leaves
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Also called: rot. rotation. maths a vector quantity associated with a vector field that is the vector product of the operator ∇ and a vector function A , where ∇ = i ∂/∂ x + j ∂/∂b y + k ∂/∂ z, i , j , and k being unit vectors. Usually written curl A , rot A Compare divergence gradient
Other Word Forms
- curledly adverb
- curledness noun
- intercurl verb
- undercurl noun
- well-curled adjective
Etymology
Origin of curl
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, apparently back formation from curled, variant of Middle English crulled (past participle) crul (adjective); compare Middle Dutch crullen “to curl”; cruller ”
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.
WSJ | Buy Side: We tested some of the most popular hair dryers on coarse curls and fine straight hair.
Subbed on with 20 minutes remaining, Adeyemi gave the visitors hope when he curled in a superb effort from the edge of the box to level up the tie with 15 minutes left.
From Barron's
But Magic was looking at a long object made of wooden slats nailed together that curled back on themselves at one end.
From Literature
A big fat bunny was curled up in Daisy’s lap just as though he belonged there.
From Literature
We laughed and laughed and curled over our stomachs.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
