curled; curling; curls
1
: to form into coils or ringlets
curl one's hair
2
: to form into a curved shape : twist
curled his lip in a sneer
3
: to furnish with curls
1
: a lock of hair that coils : ringlet
2
: something having a spiral or winding form : coil
4
: a curved or spiral marking in the grain of wood
5
: a hollow arch of water formed when the crest of a breaking wave spills forward
6
: a usually short pass pattern in football in which a receiver runs downfield and then curves back toward the line of scrimmage
7
: a body-building exercise in which a weight held with the palms facing up is raised and lowered by flexing only the wrists or elbows
Examples of curl in a Sentence
Verb
She curls her hair every morning.
Can you curl your tongue?
The baby's fingers were tightly curled.
The snake curled itself around its prey.
The cat curled into a ball and went to sleep.
We saw smoke curling from the cottage chimney.
A snake curled around his leg.
Noun
Her daughter has cute blonde curls.
She likes to wear her hair in curls.
The conditioner will help you keep the curl of your hair.
His hair has a natural curl.
He did 12 wrist curls.
Recent Examples on the Web
Suzanne Wright, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
Shailene Woodley is upstairs from Animal Haven, a pet shelter tucked just off Canal Street in downtown Manhattan, curled into a couch on a quiet fall morning.
—Julian Sancton, HollywoodReporter, 28 Oct. 2025
Bestreviews, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025
In the photo, the Grammy winner showed off her brown 'do, styled with loose curls that hung down on her shoulders and a side part.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for curl
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Verb
Seasonal activities are planned according to guest request and include curling, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and ice skating on nearby Lake Placid.
—Suzanne Wright, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
Shailene Woodley is upstairs from Animal Haven, a pet shelter tucked just off Canal Street in downtown Manhattan, curled into a couch on a quiet fall morning.
—Julian Sancton, HollywoodReporter, 28 Oct. 2025
Noun
The rollers evenly distribute heat across the surface of your hair to form symmetrical curls.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025
In the photo, the Grammy winner showed off her brown 'do, styled with loose curls that hung down on her shoulders and a side part.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for curl
Cite this Entry
“Curl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curl. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
curl
1 of 2 verb1
: to form into or grow in coils or ringlets
curled her hair
2
: to take or move in a curved form
smoke curling from the chimney
Biographical Definition
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