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 weight training exercise in which a weight (see weight entry 1 sense 2b) held in the hand with the palm facing up is raised and lowered by flexing only the wrist or elbow see also preacher curl
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
Kara Jillian Brown, InStyle, 16 Mar. 2026
Styled by Mara Roszak using GHD hair tools, Stone’s hair was blow-dried and curled slightly in different directions at the ends, creating a beautiful wave that gives it a soft swing.
—Lena Raab, Glamour, 16 Mar. 2026
Gretta Monahan, Boston Herald, 19 Mar. 2026
Anyone with curly hair knows that scalp care is where good curls start.
—Catharine Malzahn, Glamour, 18 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for curl
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Verb
Her hair was curled into subtle Old Hollywood waves by Rena Calhoun using products from Hair Rituel by Sisley Paris and tools from Mane.
—Kara Jillian Brown, InStyle, 16 Mar. 2026
Styled by Mara Roszak using GHD hair tools, Stone’s hair was blow-dried and curled slightly in different directions at the ends, creating a beautiful wave that gives it a soft swing.
—Lena Raab, Glamour, 16 Mar. 2026
Noun
Her hair was left long and straight with barely any curl, to echo the length of the statement-making dress.
—Gretta Monahan, Boston Herald, 19 Mar. 2026
Anyone with curly hair knows that scalp care is where good curls start.
—Catharine Malzahn, Glamour, 18 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for curl
Cite this Entry
“Curl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curl. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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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