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curt·sy | \ ˈkərt-sē 
\
\variants:
or less commonly curtsey
plural curtsies also curtseys
Definition of curtsy
(Entry 1 of 2)
: an act of civility, respect, or reverence made mainly by women and consisting of a slight lowering of the body with bending of the knees
curtsy
verbvariants:
or less commonly curtsey
curtsied also curtseyed; curtsying also curtseying
Definition of curtsy (Entry 2 of 2)
: to make a curtsy
Examples of curtsy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The lunges in today's workout include reverse lunges and a curtsy lunge to lateral lunge.
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Amy Eisinger, M.a., SELF, "30-Minute Lower-Body Strength Workout," 31 Dec. 2019 But perhaps the sweetest moment of all was when Charlotte mimicked her mother's curtsy.
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Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Princess Charlotte Copied Kate Middleton's Curtsy to the Queen," 26 Dec. 2019 Modification: Alternate curtsy lunges by stepping one foot diagonally behind you, lowering into a lunge position with knees bent 90 degrees.
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Mallory Creveling, Health.com, "10 Moves for a Cardio Workout at Home—No Equipment Required," 16 Dec. 2019 The mom of three is used to receiving curtsies, but one little girl took her royal greeting to the next level at Kate and Prince William‘s charity sailing race on Thursday.
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Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE.com, "Kate Middleton Receives Her Most Epic Bow Yet from Adorable Little Girl — See Her Reaction!," 12 Aug. 2019 And when Queen Elizabeth arrived, Fergie performed a curtsy to Her Majesty.
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Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Fergie Curtsied to the Queen at the Royal Ascot and the Internet Won’t Stop Talking About It," 22 June 2019 Upon greeting the Queen, Kate leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek and then curtsied (see pictures of the cheek kiss and curtsy here).
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Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Kate Middleton Kissing the Queen on the Cheek Reveals a LOT About Her Status in the Royal Family," 25 May 2019 The duchesses also gave the Queen a respectful greeting—with two curtsies rather than a hug and kiss.
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Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton Greet Each Other with a Hug at Westminster Abbey," 11 Mar. 2019 Scobie explained the ins and outs of royal curtsy rules in a new interview with Katie Couric.
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Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Meghan Markle Had to Memorize the Most Complicated Curtsying Rules When She Became Royal," 4 Aug. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb After church, Princess Charlotte made quite the adorable attempt to curtsy on the steps as her great-grandmother, the Queen, drove by.
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Vogue, "Princess Charlotte’s First Walk to Church Included a Cute Curtsy—And a Fun Gift," 25 Dec. 2019 Speaking of curtsies, were curtsies in the 1920s different from the way people curtsy now?
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Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "Downton Abbey's Historical Advisor Alastair Bruce Says He Was "Ruthless" on Set," 21 Sep. 2019 Upon greeting the Queen, Kate leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek and then curtsied (see pictures of the cheek kiss and curtsy here).
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Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Kate Middleton Kissing the Queen on the Cheek Reveals a LOT About Her Status in the Royal Family," 25 May 2019 And Morey was compelled to recant too, before his league, the National Basketball Association, and its biggest star, LeBron James, took turns curtsying to the Commies and thanking them for their business.
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Daniel Foster, National Review, "Progressive Woke, Communist Yoke," 24 Oct. 2019 In a new interview with Katie Couric, royal expert and commentator Omid Scobie broke down the way family hierarchy impacts who curtsies to whom.
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Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Meghan Markle Had to Memorize the Most Complicated Curtsying Rules When She Became Royal," 4 Aug. 2019 So basically: Anyone senior to Harry (like the Queen, for an obvious example), Meghan has to curtsy to, all of the time.
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Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Meghan Markle Had to Memorize the Most Complicated Curtsying Rules When She Became Royal," 4 Aug. 2019 At the beginning of a visit to King Mohammed VI's palace, Meghan dutifully curtsied to the King.
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Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Meghan Markle Curtsied to King Mohammed VI During Her and Prince Harry's Trip to Morocco," 26 Feb. 2019 Kate gave Elizabeth the cheek kiss first and then curtsied.
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Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Kate Middleton Kissing the Queen on the Cheek Reveals a LOT About Her Status in the Royal Family," 25 May 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'curtsy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for curtsy
curtsy
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of curtsy
: a formal way of greeting an important person (such as a king or queen) in which a woman shows respect by placing one foot slightly behind the other and bending her knees
See the full definition for curtsy in the English Language Learners Dictionary
curtsy
verbcurt·sy
variants:
also curtsey \ ˈkərt-sē \
curtsied also curtseyed; curtsying also curtseying
Kids Definition of curtsy
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to lower the body slightly by bending the knees as an act of politeness or respect
curtsy
nounvariants:
also curtsey
plural curtsies also curtseys
Kids Definition of curtsy (Entry 2 of 2)
: an act of politeness or respect made by women and consisting of a slight lowering of the body by bending the knees
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Time Traveler for curtsy
The first known use of curtsy was in 1533
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