curse

noun \ ˈkərs \

|Updated on: 11 Aug 2018

Examples: curse in a Sentence

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

The hope is that marquee free agent John Tavares, who grew up in nearby Mississauga, Ontario, sleeping on Maple Leafs bedding as a boy, can break the curse.

— christopher l. gasper, BostonGlobe.com, "The Lions in the Super Bowl, a .400 hitter in a season, and other sports dreams I’d like to see become reality," 14 July 2018
The heavy action should be on Mendelssohn, who everyone thought could break the curse of Dubai shippers.

— john cherwa, latimes.com, "Racing! Learn about handicapping from Rob Henie," 7 July 2018
Scott Utterback/Courier Journal In the pantheon of great sports curses – see Billy Goat, Bambino – the Kentucky Derby’s Curse of Apollo may not have the lore of others.

— jason frakes, The Courier-Journal, "The Curse of the Apollo looms over two Kentucky Derby 2018 contenders. Can it be broken?," 26 Apr. 2018
The Cavs broke the Cleveland curse, but the Indians still haven't won a World Series since 1948.

— grant segall, cleveland.com, "Indians reliever Andrew Miller loves town, wants to stay: My Cleveland (photos)," 25 Mar. 2018
Con: Isn’t there a real element to the curse of the pharaohs in terms of bacteria?

— patricia hernandez, The Verge, "26 arguments for and against opening Egypt’s new mystery sarcophagus," 11 July 2018
According to the lore of the show, Wynonna (Melanie Scrofano) is a descendant of Wyatt Earp, who got the clan put under a curse.

— maureen ryan, New York Times, "A Cult Show’s Recipe for Success: Whiskey, Twitter and Complex Women," 6 July 2018
At the top was the Houston Rockets, who were a freak Chris Paul injury and an aberrational shooting curse away from stealing the series from Golden State Warriors and, in all likelihood, an NBA championship.

— chris gayomali, GQ, "The Upside of the Lakers," 2 July 2018
This month, egged on by the president himself, crowds at Trump rallies have screamed curses at journalists who came simply to do their jobs.

— brian chasnoff, San Antonio Express-News, "Menace toward journalists has grown under Trump," 29 June 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 guard position in Miami has seemingly been cursed for some time now.

— dave hyde, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Hyde5: Here's five reasons to feel better about the Miami Dolphins in July," 13 July 2018
Either way, Saturday’s party is shaping up to be incredibly cursed.

— gabriella paiella, The Cut, "The Winklevoss Twins Are Reportedly Helping Host Cuomo’s Hamptons Fundraiser," 12 July 2018
When Miller turned around, the bartender raised both middle fingers and cursed at him, according to an account Miller has shared with White House colleagues.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Stephen Miller Owned the Libs by Throwing Away His Own Sushi," 9 July 2018
When Miller turned around, the bartender raised both middle fingers and cursed at him, according to an account Miller has shared with White House colleagues.

— author: paul schwartzman, josh dawsey, Anchorage Daily News, "'Viciousness': Trump aides endure public fury toward president's policies," 9 July 2018
Four of the last five World Cup champions have been cursed with the same fate: France in 2002, Italy in 2010 and Spain in 2014.

— SI.com, "How Defending World Cup Champions Fared In The Following World Cup," 27 June 2018
Presidents -- with the possible exception of George Washington -- have cursed for eons, and politics has never been for the easily offended.

— stephen collinson, CNN, "America should be more at ease than this," 2 June 2018
Last year, council members turned the cameras off for that portion of the meeting after they were cursed and threatened during protests over the Keith Lamont Scott shooting and the immigration debate.

— steve harrison, charlotteobserver, "Here is what the Wall Street Journal said about Charlotte’s new city council | Charlotte Observer," 12 Mar. 2018
Blade of the Immortal A skilled samurai is cursed with immortality in this bloody 2017 action thriller directed by Takashi Miike.

— chris ball, cleveland.com, "Willem Dafoe in 'The Florida Project,' now on DVD and Blu-ray (review)," 25 Feb. 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