curse

noun \ ˈkərs \

Updated on: 22 Apr 2018

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

This could be wicked, gruesome fun, but there isn’t much of that in Truth or Dare, which gets lost in the needlessly knotty and constantly shifting rules of the curse.

— gary thompson, Philly.com, "Nary a scare in 'Truth or Dare' | Movie review," 11 Apr. 2018
Having a strong personality and opinions on things can be both a blessing and a curse.

— stephanie stradley, Houston Chronicle, "Stephanie Stradley’s Q&A on the Texans and the 2018 NFL draft," 11 Apr. 2018
Sometimes, growing up a half an hour from the team’s facility can be a bit of a curse.

— conor orr, SI.com, "Aaron Rodgers's Contract Could Blow Other QB Contracts Out of the Water," 28 Feb. 2018
Some attributed the Massachusetts representative's veneer to what's known as the State of the Union curse, a spectacle that has afflicted both Republicans and Democrats alike.

— eder campuzano, OregonLive.com, "Were you distracted by Joe Kennedy III's 'juicy' lips during his State of the Union response?," 30 Jan. 2018
The evil eye has been around for thousands of years and is worn as a talisman to protect against the curse of the evil eye.

— kelsey stiegman, Seventeen, "This Is Why Everyone Was Wearing Evil Eye Gloves at the March for Our Lives," 26 Mar. 2018
The 6-foot-9 Anderson’s versatility has been a blessing and a curse for him.

— jeff mcdonald, San Antonio Express-News, "Spurs notebook: Jack-of-all-positions Anderson settling in at power forward," 21 Mar. 2018
Early critics of anesthesia worried that, by taking away the Biblical curse of pain in childbirth, ether would lead to atheism.

— ellen wayland-smith, Longreads, "Death Rattle: The Body’s Betrayals," 21 Mar. 2018
Given Barkley’s penchant for hyperbole, his taking a shine to a team could be a blessing or a curse.

— tod leonard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "New Mexico St. is popular pick to upset Clemson," 15 Mar. 2018

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, going back to Old English, of uncertain origin

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

curse Synonyms

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

The detective curses at the motorcyclist and pulls his wallet out of his pocket.

— steve miletich, The Seattle Times, "King County sheriff’s detective who pulled gun on motorcyclist suspended," 16 Apr. 2018
The sword, however, is cursed, resulting in your perpetual death.

— nick statt, The Verge, "Minit is a beautifully crafted love letter to classic games and the art of death," 7 Apr. 2018
The two cursed at each other, then continued their way up West Burnside Street.

— aimee green, OregonLive.com, "Driver who broke cyclist's jaw in road rage rift ordered to pay $50k," 12 Mar. 2018
For 44 tense minutes, Palm Beach Gardens Police Officer Nouman Raja paced, cursed, cried, and spoke so fast that investigators twice told him to take deep breaths.

— marc freeman, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Dramatic new video shows officer speaking to investigators hours after shooting and killing Corey Jones," 9 Mar. 2018
As a result, no one was ever spurned, cursed, or insulted by Thome.

— bill livingston, cleveland.com, "Nothing can ever touch the real Field of Dreams: Bill Livingston," 25 Jan. 2018
The passenger continued to curse after being taken into police custody, when being led through the terminal.

— michael bartiromo, Fox News, "JetBlue passenger arrested for disorderly conduct after talking back to crew member," 27 Mar. 2018
Bracamontes has acted out throughout the trial, cursing at the families and jurors and threatening to kill more officers.

— sam stanton, sacbee, "'He's a coward,' says sister of slain deputy after Luis Bracamontes gets the death penalty | The Sacramento Bee," 27 Mar. 2018
From the start, Anderson’s characters have been cursed with a delusional nostalgia.

— christian lorentzen, The New Republic, "The earnest, ironic stylings of Wes Anderson’s “Isle of Dogs”," 21 Mar. 2018

Origin and Etymology of curse

Middle English cursen, going back to Old English cursian, probably derivative of curs ¹curse

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

curse Synonyms

Synonyms

imprecate;

Antonyms

bless;

Near Antonyms

applaud, commend, congratulate;

hex, jinx, voodoo;

dang, darn (also durn), dash;

cuss (out), fulminate (against), rail (against), revile;

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