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
Synonyms
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
Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2024
Case was curled inside the smallest hyperbaric chamber at Siebe Gorman, a British diving equipment manufacturer, for the fourth day of testing.
—Rachel Lance, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024
Using a medium barrel iron, curl the ends to create a bouncy curl finish.
—Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
Saka curled a wonderful effort into the corner of the net in the 12th minute, sparking wild celebrations amongst the Arsenal faithful who tried to create an atmosphere worthy of the occasion.
—Ben Church, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
Elastane, the thread that gives stretch jeans their stretchiness, will curl and then collapse when compromised too much.
—Jane Herman, Vogue, 7 Apr. 2024
When performing curls for your biceps, for example, exhale while curling the weight up from your thighs to your chin (the high exertion phase), then inhale on the way down.
—Bryant Stamford, The Courier-Journal, 11 Apr. 2024
Next to the river was a tree, and someone had noticed a mottled python curled around one of its branches.
—Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
This unique blend includes tomato ferment too, which helps support curl formation with its vitamin-rich content.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 11 Apr. 2024
Instead of her usual long blonde curls, Hilton wore her hair in a sleek ponytail, with one long face-framing piece to the side.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 10 Apr. 2024
Mary’s mouth curls into a smile, which then quickly fades.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 5 Apr. 2024
Palmer, who recently won an Emmy Award for her work on the game show, looked every bit the iconic host in voluminous spiral curls that just brushed her shoulders, plus curly bangs to match.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 4 Apr. 2024
Aloe vera will also help hydrate those curls so your manly curls can bounce back to the perfect curl in no time!
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Scientists anticipate that exciting features resembling loops, streamers and bright curls will be visible in the sun’s hot outer atmosphere, known as the corona, when the moon blocks the star’s surface from view during the upcoming eclipse.
—Cnn Com Wire Service, Orange County Register, 2 Apr. 2024
Back inside the studio, Richardson flops onto the sofa in her dressing room after an intense block of filming, a mass of white curls still piled up on her head.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 29 Mar. 2024
Plus, these potent plant extracts help define curls, moisturize the scalp, seal split ends, and help retain length.
—Jenn Barthole, Glamour, 29 Mar. 2024
Verb
His feet are curled in childish concentration; soft sunlight dapples the scene.
—Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2024
Case was curled inside the smallest hyperbaric chamber at Siebe Gorman, a British diving equipment manufacturer, for the fourth day of testing.
—Rachel Lance, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024
Using a medium barrel iron, curl the ends to create a bouncy curl finish.
—Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
Saka curled a wonderful effort into the corner of the net in the 12th minute, sparking wild celebrations amongst the Arsenal faithful who tried to create an atmosphere worthy of the occasion.
—Ben Church, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
Elastane, the thread that gives stretch jeans their stretchiness, will curl and then collapse when compromised too much.
—Jane Herman, Vogue, 7 Apr. 2024
When performing curls for your biceps, for example, exhale while curling the weight up from your thighs to your chin (the high exertion phase), then inhale on the way down.
—Bryant Stamford, The Courier-Journal, 11 Apr. 2024
Next to the river was a tree, and someone had noticed a mottled python curled around one of its branches.
—Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
This unique blend includes tomato ferment too, which helps support curl formation with its vitamin-rich content.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Noun
Actress Kerry Washington wearing a strapless black cutout gown at the 68th Emmy Awards in 2016 with her curls out was a maternity-style moment that still lives in our minds.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 11 Apr. 2024
Instead of her usual long blonde curls, Hilton wore her hair in a sleek ponytail, with one long face-framing piece to the side.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 10 Apr. 2024
Mary’s mouth curls into a smile, which then quickly fades.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 5 Apr. 2024
Palmer, who recently won an Emmy Award for her work on the game show, looked every bit the iconic host in voluminous spiral curls that just brushed her shoulders, plus curly bangs to match.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 4 Apr. 2024
Aloe vera will also help hydrate those curls so your manly curls can bounce back to the perfect curl in no time!
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Scientists anticipate that exciting features resembling loops, streamers and bright curls will be visible in the sun’s hot outer atmosphere, known as the corona, when the moon blocks the star’s surface from view during the upcoming eclipse.
—Cnn Com Wire Service, Orange County Register, 2 Apr. 2024
Back inside the studio, Richardson flops onto the sofa in her dressing room after an intense block of filming, a mass of white curls still piled up on her head.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 29 Mar. 2024
Plus, these potent plant extracts help define curls, moisturize the scalp, seal split ends, and help retain length.
—Jenn Barthole, Glamour, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'curl.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near curl
Cite this Entry
“Curl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curl. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
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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