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
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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
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And has Buckleyite conservatism — which is undoubtedly in a crisis as evidenced by the shouting, curses, and stormings-out — really and finally cracked up?
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The Army's presence over the last 100 years has been a blessing and a curse, according to many residents.
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But the mainland’s paramount leader will receive plenty of curses too as protesters follow him around the territory.
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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.
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The success of Drag Race has been a blessing and, in some ways, a curse to the local drag community.
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In the summertime, air conditioning can be both a blessing and a curse.
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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.
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Curly hair-havers know the texture can be both a blessing and a curse.
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
Other Occult Terms
curse
Definition of curse
cursed
;cursing
transitive verb
1 : to use profanely insolent language against : blaspheme cursing his god
2a : 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
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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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In the background, several people can be heard screaming and cursing while Tequila Stephens is heard trying to find the address of the home.
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Among other things, Delashaw allegedly yelled and cursed at his subordinates, creating a chilling affect among medical staff who became afraid to ask questions that were needed to properly care for patients, the documents said.
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Eric Holder, the former U.S. attorney general, led the probe following a remarkable string of scandals at Uber that included Kalanick captured on video cursing at an Uber driver.
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Later, Democrats said Rinaldi repeatedly got in their faces and cursed at them.
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Cursing in the workplace, a lack of respect for propriety and protocol, an absence of linguistic and ideological constraints were prizes to a society that had just cast off the Communist straitjacket.
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
see 1curse
CURSE Defined for English Language Learners
curse
playDefinition of curse for English Language Learners
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: an offensive word that people say when they are angry
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: magical words that are said to cause trouble or bad luck for someone or the condition that results when such words are said
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: a cause of trouble or bad luck
CURSE Defined for Kids
Definition of curse for Students
1 : a series of words calling for harm to come to someone
2 : a word or an expression used in swearing or in calling for harm to come to someone
3 : evil or misfortune that comes as if in answer to someone's request The land suffered the curse of drought.
4 : a cause of great harm or evil All this money has been nothing but a curse.
Definition of curse for Students
cursed
;cursing
Learn More about curse
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See words that rhyme with curse Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for curse Spanish Central: Translation of curse Nglish: Translation of curse for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of curse for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about curse
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