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

This ancient technique recently caught the attention of chefs at Alchemist, a two-Michelin-star restaurant in Copenhagen, after someone noticed that milk with an ant in it started curdling in the fridge. —Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 23 Oct. 2025

Normally, acid from citrus is used to curdle the milk, before the solids are removed to leave a rich drink. —Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025

The counterculture had curdled, Vietnam was over but unsettled, and the economy sagged into stagflation. —Eric Cortellessa, Time, 25 Sep. 2025

But this being the latest film from Park Chan-wook, the director of movies such as Decision to Leave, The Handmaiden, and Oldboy, Man-soo’s vision of perfection curdles quickly. —Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2025

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