cure

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈkyu̇r How to pronounce cure (audio)
ˈkyər
1
a
: spiritual charge : care
b
: pastoral charge of a parish
2
a
: recovery or relief from a disease
Her cure was complete.
b
: something (such as a drug or treatment) that cures a disease
Quinine is a cure for malaria.
c
: a course or period of treatment
take the cure for alcoholism
d
: spa sense 1
one of the fashionable cures
3
: a complete or permanent solution or remedy
seeking a cure for unemployment
4
: a process or method of curing
cureless
ˈkyu̇r-ləs How to pronounce cure (audio)
ˈkyər-
adjective

cure

2 of 3

verb

cured; curing

transitive verb

1
a
: to restore to health, soundness, or normality
cured him of a rare blood disease
b
: to bring about recovery from
cure a disease
2
a
: to deal with in a way that eliminates or rectifies
… his small size, which time would cure for him …William Faulkner
b
: to free from something objectionable or harmful
trying to cure him of a bad habit
3
: to prepare or alter especially by chemical or physical processing for keeping or use
fish cured with salt

intransitive verb

1
a
: to undergo a curing process
The hay is curing in the sun.
b
: set sense 11
Cement cures rapidly.
2
: to effect a cure
a potion guaranteed to cure
curer noun

curé

3 of 3

noun (2)

cu·​ré kyu̇-ˈrā How to pronounce curé (audio)
ˈkyu̇r-ˌā
: a parish priest

Did you know?

What is the origin of cure?

In Latin the noun cura had the general sense of “the care, concern, or attention given to something or someone.” It might refer to “medical care or healing.” Christians, however, used the word chiefly in regard to “the care of souls,” since that was one of their main concerns. The word passed into French as cure and then into English with this spiritual sense. The English noun curate, meaning “one who takes care of souls, a member of the clergy,” developed from this sense. Later the medical senses of cure became more common.

Examples of cure in a Sentence

Noun (1) This is a problem that has no easy cure. The doctors were unable to effect a cure because the disease had spread too far. Verb The infection can be cured with antibiotics. She was cured of any illusions she had about college after her first semester. My wife cured me of most of my bad habits.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
While there’s no cure for asthma — which can be triggered by stress, food allergies, pollen and cold weather, among other things — new treatments developed in recent years have made the disease much more manageable. Joanne Fowler, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024 In either case, there are treatments and changes to the cat’s diet that could help, but there is no definitive cure or medicine for the conditions. Joan Morris, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024 There were even cures for herpes, rabies, pneumonia and scabies. Michael S. Rosenwald, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024 Although there is no cure for SPS, early detection and an effective treatment plan can help ease symptoms, slow disease progression, and improve quality of life. Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 28 Feb. 2024 School choice is the cure for what ails our education system. The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024 As of now, there is no cure for EB — something the Vedders’ foundation aims to change within the next decade. Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 22 Feb. 2024 His job is to watch over Bobby Asencio (RZA), a painter who became terminally ill and decided to wait out a cure by freezing himself. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2024 While there are treatments to help manage symptoms of autoimmune diseases, there is no cure—but that may be coming. Korin Miller, Verywell Health, 28 Feb. 2024
Verb
One yearns for the breakthrough, the epiphany, the point, that will make sense of it all, and thus cure it. Lauren Oyler, The New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2024 The most important outcome of Biden’s approach to tax enforcement is curing corporations and the wealthy of their poor taxpaying hygiene. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 According to a number of small studies, between a third and two-thirds of the people who were addicted to opioids or crack cocaine and were treated with the compound in a therapeutic setting were effectively cured of their habits, many after just a single session. Andrew Jacobs, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 This composter product takes at least a couple months for the scraps to cure into usable compost. Paige Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Feb. 2024 That didn’t work for the couple, who are avid cooks and like to spend up to 50 hours a week cooking, baking, curing, and fermenting in the kitchen together. Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 28 Feb. 2024 In 70% of the cases the initial tumor can be removed, and it is cured. Christie D’zurilla, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024 Highlights from the small plates include roasted bone marrow with garlic confit; shellfish chowder and yuzu kosho cured king salmon. Chelsea Davis, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 The accelerants cure the grout that seals the tunnel’s concrete supports, helping the grout set properly and protecting the work against cracks and other deterioration. Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik, Quartz, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cure.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, "attention, effort, care, responsibility, spiritual charge, medical treatment, remedy," borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Medieval Latin & Latin; Medieval Latin cūra "care, attention, spiritual charge, treatment, cure," going back to Latin, "worry, care, attention, solicitude, treatment," probably going back to pre-Latin *kwois-ā, derivative of an Indo-European verbal base *kweis- "heed, attend to" (whence Old Irish ad·cí "(s/he) sees," Avestan cōišt "has fixed, determined")

Verb

Middle English curen "to attend to, be responsible for, restore to health," borrowed from Anglo-French curer, going back to Latin cūrāre "to watch over, attend, treat (sick persons), restore to health" (Medieval Latin, "to have spiritual charge of"), derivative of cūra "care, attention, treatment, cure" — more at cure entry 1

Noun (2)

French, from Old French, from Medieval Latin curatus — more at curate

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun (2)

1655, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cure was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near cure

Cite this Entry

“Cure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cure. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

cure

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: recovery or relief from a disease
b
: something that cures a disease : remedy
c
: a method or period of medical treatment
2
: something that corrects or heals a bad situation
a cure for unemployment

cure

2 of 2 verb
cured; curing
1
a
: to make or become healthy or sound again
b
: to bring about recovery from
2
3
a
: to prepare by a chemical or physical process for use or storage
cure bacon
b
: to go through a curing process
hay curing in the sun
curer noun
Etymology

Noun

Middle English cure "care of souls," from early French cure (same meaning), from Latin cura "spiritual charge of souls," from earlier cura "care, healing" — related to accurate, curate, curious, secure

Word Origin
In Latin the noun cura had the general sense of "the care, concern, or attention given to something or someone." Often it referred to "medical care or healing." The Roman Christians, however, used the word chiefly in regard to "the care of souls," since that was one of their main concerns. The word passed into French as cure and then into English with this spiritual sense. The English noun curate, meaning "one who takes care of souls, a member of the clergy," developed from this sense. Later the medical senses of cure became more common. Latin cura was also the basis for the verb accurare, meaning "to take care of." This verb became the source of our word accurate, which at first meant "done with care."

Medical Definition

cure

1 of 2 noun
1
: recovery from a disease
his cure was complete
also : remission of signs or symptoms of a disease especially during a prolonged period of observation
a clinical cure
5-year cure of cancer
compare arrest entry 2
2
: a drug, treatment, regimen, or other agency that cures a disease
quinine is a cure for malaria
3
: a course or period of treatment
especially : one designed to interrupt an addiction or compulsive habit or to improve general health
take a cure for alcoholism
an annual cure at a spa
4
: spa
5
maritime law : the medical care awarded a person in the merchant marine who is injured or taken sick in the course of duty

cure

2 of 2 verb
cured; curing

transitive verb

: heal:
a
: to restore to health, soundness, or normality
curing her patients rapidly by new procedures
b
: to bring about recovery from
antibiotics cure many formerly intractable infections

intransitive verb

1
: to effect a cure
careful living cures more often than it kills
2
: to take a cure (as in a sanatorium or at a spa)
curer noun

Legal Definition

cure

verb
cured; curing

transitive verb

: to deal with in a way that eliminates or corrects: as
a
: to use judicial procedures to undo (damage to a litigant's case caused by procedural errors made during a trial)
subsequent proceedings cured harm caused by trial court's error in impermissibly allowing…statements of government witnessNational Law Journal
also : to judicially correct or negate (procedural errors)
cure a defect in the pleadings
b
: to correct or make acceptable (a defective performance or delivery under a contract)
the nonconformity would be seasonably curedJ. J. White and R. S. Summers
c
: to negate (a default by a debtor in bankruptcy) by restoring the debtor and creditor to their positions before the default

intransitive verb

: to eliminate or correct a defect
especially : to correct or make acceptable a defective performance or delivery under a contract
the seller may seasonably notify the buyer of his intention to cure and may then within the contract time make a conforming delivery Uniform Commercial Code
curable adjective
curability noun
cure noun

More from Merriam-Webster on cure

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!