curse

noun \ ˈkərs \

Definition of curse

1 :a prayer or invocation for harm or injury to come upon one :imprecation

People believe that there is a curse on the house.

2 :a profane or obscene oath or word

In an antechamber, his lieutenants suddenly heard the shattering of glass and angry curses.
—Sam Moses

3 :something that is cursed or accursed

"I … will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth."
—Jeremiah 26:6 (King James Version)

4 :evil or misfortune that comes as if in response to imprecation or as retribution

… intolerance is the greatest curse of every land …
—Kenneth Roberts

5 :a cause of great harm or misfortune :torment

His fame turned out to be a curse, not a blessing.

6 :menstruation —used with the

See curse defined for English-language learners

See curse defined for kids

Examples of curse in a Sentence

I heard him utter a curse before the microphone was shut off.
The witch pronounced a curse in some strange language.
People believe that someone put a curse on the house.
His fame turned out to be a curse, not a blessing.

Recent Examples of curse from the Web

And has Buckleyite conservatism — which is undoubtedly in a crisis as evidenced by the shouting, curses, and stormings-out — really and finally cracked up?

— john o'sullivan, National Review, "Did William F. Buckley’s Conservative Project End in Failure?," 20 July 2017
The Army's presence over the last 100 years has been a blessing and a curse, according to many residents.

— allan vought, The Aegis, "At a community forum, a hopeful view emerges about Edgewood's future," 19 July 2017
But the mainland’s paramount leader will receive plenty of curses too as protesters follow him around the territory.

— WSJ, "Hong Kong’s Anxious Anniversary," 29 June 2017
The Chicago Cubs: Story of a Curse by Rich Cohen (10/3, FSG) Or how, for more than 70 years, a goat trampled the hopes and dreams of Chicagoans.

— aimee levitt, Chicago Reader, "Arts / Books Books we can’t wait to read in the rest of 2017," 28 June 2017
The success of Drag Race has been a blessing and, in some ways, a curse to the local drag community.

— patrick crowley, Billboard, "34 Drag Performers Around the World Sound Off on the Influence of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' & More," 28 June 2017
In the summertime, air conditioning can be both a blessing and a curse.

— madeline fass, Vogue, "This Stealth Wardrobe Multitasker Is the Most Versatile Shirt of the Summer," 28 June 2017
However, the words speak to grievous human challenges across all time — like Alzheimer’s in our day, with its maddening constant curses on people’s lives.

— fred dickey, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Marine vet's biggest achievement: comforting his wife through Alzheimer's," 23 June 2017
Curly hair-havers know the texture can be both a blessing and a curse.

— rachel nussbaum, Glamour, "The Best Instagram Accounts for Curly Haircut Inspiration," 23 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'curse.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of curse

Middle English curs, from Old English

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

curse Synonyms

Synonyms

anathema, ban, execration, imprecation, malediction, malison, winze [Scottish]

Antonyms

benediction, benison, blessing

Related Words

censure, condemnation, damnation, denunciation, excommunication; hex, hoodoo, jinx, mojo, spell, voodoo, whammy; pox

Near Antonyms

citation, commendation, endorsement (also indorsement)

Other Occult Terms

augury, censor, invocation, lucidity, metempsychosis, mojo, numinous, preternatural, weird, wraith

curse

verb

Definition of curse

cursed; cursing

transitive verb

1 :to use profanely insolent language against :blaspheme

cursing his god

2 a :to call upon divine or supernatural power to send injury upon

He was cursed and fears he will die.

b :to execrate in fervent and often profane terms

cursed by future generations unless we act now

3 :to bring great evil upon :afflict

a land cursed with famine

intransitive verb

:to utter imprecations :swear

cursing loudly

See curse defined for English-language learners

Examples of curse in a Sentence

He cursed himself for being so careless.
She cursed her bad luck.
In the book the evil witch curses the villagers.

Recent Examples of curse from the Web

Both see no options except for a) lashing out angrily and b) cursing their feminine fate while suffering in silence.

— kyle smith, National Review, "Hillary Excuse No. 1,756: Trump Stood Too Close to Me," 28 Aug. 2017
More: Tigers manager Brad Ausmus denies cursing Brett Gardner, details feud The lead was short-lived, though: Former Tiger Avisail Garcia tied the game with an RBI single off Justin Verlander in the next inning.

— anthony fenech, Detroit Free Press, "Jimenez quickly wastes Verlander's solid start in Tigers' 3-2 loss to White Sox," 25 Aug. 2017
This overwhelming obsession with looks over taste is what cursed us with Red Delicious apples, Florida tomatoes, and our city’s cultural reputation.

— joel stein, Los Angeles Magazine, "Can We Just Stop with the Whole Charcoal Food Thing Now?," 21 Aug. 2017
A heated event that initially was confined to shouting and cursing devolved into flying debris, street fights and, in some cases, attacks by people wielding clubs.

— robert king, Indianapolis Star, "'Unite the Right' white nationalist rally in Charlottesville erupts in violence," 12 Aug. 2017
But even without a regular flow, the menstrual gods have cursed me with a battery of unpleasant symptoms: everything from rollercoaster mood swings to random cramps and unpredictable energy-level fluctuations at various times of the month.

— michelle konstantinovsky, Harper's BAZAAR, "Why Do Women Still Think PMS is Normal?," 29 June 2017
By the time the Chargers and Leaf set out for Indianapolis in Week 5 of the 1998 season, Leaf had already cursed out a camera man, launched into a blue tirade against a reporter, and been booed by the crowd at Qualcomm Stadium.

— tom krasovic, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Sheesh — the Ryan Leaf choice was even worse than thought," 27 June 2017
In his first year in office, the Philippine president ordered a drug war that killed thousands, cursed out former U.S. president Barack Obama, backed the arrest of a top critic and had a major city overtaken by Islamic State.

— ian c sayson, Bloomberg.com, "Hopes High, Returns Low in Philippine Stocks Under Duterte," 26 June 2017
In the background, several people can be heard screaming and cursing while Tequila Stephens is heard trying to find the address of the home.

— ivana hrynkiw, AL.com, "Woman on trial for killing young mother in Birmingham street; both had kids with same man," 13 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of curse

see ¹curse

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

curse Synonyms

Synonyms

anathematize, beshrew [archaic], imprecate, maledict

Antonyms

bless

Related Words

condemn, damn, denounce, execrate, reprobate; hex, jinx, voodoo; dang, darn (also durn), dash; cuss (out), fulminate (against), rail (against), revile

Near Antonyms

applaud, commend, congratulate

CURSE Defined for English Language Learners

curse

noun

Definition of curse for English Language Learners

: an offensive word that people say when they are angry
: magical words that are said to cause trouble or bad luck for someone or the condition that results when such words are said
: a cause of trouble or bad luck