curdle

verb

cur·​dle ˈkər-dᵊl 

curdled; curdling

ˈkərd-liŋ, 

ˈkər-dᵊl-iŋ 

intransitive verb

1

: to form curds

also : to congeal as if by forming curds

a scream curdled in her throat

2

: to go bad or wrong : spoil

transitive verb

1

: to cause curds to form in

curdled milk

2

: spoil, sour

Examples of curdle in a Sentence

Too much heat will make the custard curdle.

Too much heat will curdle the custard.

Recent Examples on the Web

And anticipation has curdled into anxiety. —Leander Schaerlaeckens, New Yorker, 22 May 2026

Kurosawa Kiyoshi has spent a career trapping his characters in the present tense — in the buzzing infrastructure of contemporary Tokyo, in the ambient dread of the networked age, in the particular horror of ordinary life curdling into something much worse. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 19 May 2026

Does a vague sense of dread curdle your belly? —Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 13 May 2026

That the story of The Deb, which centers around female friendship and unity despite cultural differences, wound up curdling into a swirling pit of harassment and negativity and abuse is one of this world’s cruel ironies. —Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 12 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

metathetic variant of cruddle, crudle, frequentative of crud entry 2

First Known Use

1585, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing curdle

• make someone's blood curdle

Rhymes for curdle

• girdle
• hurdle

Kids Definition

curdle

verb

cur·​dle ˈkərd-ᵊl 

curdled; curdling ˈkərd-liŋ 

-ᵊl-iŋ

1

: to form curds

2

: to cause curds to form in

high heat curdled the custard

3

—used in expressions such as make one's blood curdle to indicate a feeling of terror

a ghost story that will make your blood curdle