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
Also, as the concrete cures, the water in it evaporates, reducing the volume of the concrete. Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 22 Sep. 2023 Then one day, hopefully, the doctors or the scientists can come up with a cure. Breanna Bell, Variety, 20 Sep. 2023 Long Covid does not seem to be self-resolving, in the sense of spontaneous recovery or recovery in the absence of a cure or a treatment that’s been validated. Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 20 Sep. 2023 But the fight for a medicine or even a cure feels worth it. Adithi Ramakrishnan, Dallas News, 12 Sep. 2023 Taking place after the final episode of the original Walking Dead series, Daryl needs to save a young girl to find the cure for humanity. oregonlive, 10 Sep. 2023 There is no cure for autism but there are many therapies that can reduce symptoms and improve quality of life. Helena Oliviero, ajc, 6 Sep. 2023 Though a cure for her chronic pain continued to elude her, her writing provided a form of solace. Hannah Zeavin, The New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2023 Money raised during the 2.75-mile walk through Balboa Park supports the nonprofit’s educational programming, as well as local research to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Lauren J. Mapp, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2023
Verb
By the time Jaenisch's case was cured at age 31, the landscape of hepatitis C treatment had changed dramatically. Michelle Andrews, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2023 The nails are made from real gel and require no time to dry or cure. Nykia Spradley, Glamour, 7 Sep. 2023 Experts recommend patients prioritize a healthy lifestyle, but understand that it's not guaranteed to cure or halt depression; outside treatments are available and often necessary. Kaitlin Vogel, Health, 15 Sep. 2023 Monica was venerated by the Catholic Church after curing her son, Augustine of Hippo, of heresy. Matt Thompson, Spin, 10 Sep. 2023 While hemp seed oil and CBD oil may offer potential relief from anxiety symptoms, they are not intended to cure anxiety disorders. Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 7 Sep. 2023 Expectations can be the kill or cure line for a team. Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 31 Aug. 2023 Just as normal polish, gel polish is painted directly onto the nail to add color to your manicure, except gel is cured under a UV light. India Espy-Jones, Essence, 31 Aug. 2023 Kinder and his family prayed for Trent all those years ago, asking for healing, pleading for him to be cured. The Indianapolis Star, 30 Aug. 2023 See More

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 2 Oct. 2023.

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

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