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
Sam Moses3
: 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)
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
Kenneth Roberts5
: a cause of great harm or misfortune : torment
His fame turned out to be a curse, not a blessing.
6
: menstruation
—used with the
cursed; cursing
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
: to utter imprecations : swear
cursing loudly
Examples of curse in a Sentence
Noun
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.
Verb
He cursed himself for being so careless.
She cursed her bad luck.
In the book the evil witch curses the villagers.
Recent Examples on the Web
Dennis McNally, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2025
As those points attest, emotional wording can be a blessing and a curse.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 8 Aug. 2025
In other words, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.
—Derek Robertson, The Washington Examiner, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for curse
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Noun
Rumors of a Satanic curse on the event skittered around the Haight, so early on the morning of the 14th, Ginsberg, Snyder, and Alan Watts conducted a pradakshina, a Buddhist purification rite.
—Dennis McNally, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2025
As those points attest, emotional wording can be a blessing and a curse.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
Verb
Trueman will executive produce the series, which follows an aspiring author, cursed with writer’s block and ridden with debt, who is offered a huge amount of money to commit a heinous crime.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 8 Aug. 2025
In other words, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.
—Derek Robertson, The Washington Examiner, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for curse
Cite this Entry
“Curse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curse. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
curse
1 of 2 noun1
: a calling for harm or injury to come to someone
2
: a word or an expression used in cursing or swearing
3
: evil or misfortune that comes as if in answer to a curse
4
: a cause of great harm or evil
curse
2 of 2 verb
cursed; cursing
1
: to call upon divine power to send harm or evil upon
2
3
: to bring unhappiness or evil upon : afflict
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