curve

adjective \ ˈkərv \

|Updated on: 9 Aug 2018

Examples: curve in a Sentence

Definition of curve

archaic

: bent or formed into a curve

Origin and Etymology of curve

Middle English, from Latin curvus; akin to Greek kyrtos convex, Middle Irish cruinn round

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First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

curve

verb

Definition of curve

curved; curving

intransitive verb

: to have or take a turn, change, or deviation from a straight line or plane surface without sharp breaks or angularity

transitive verb

1 : to cause to curve

2 : to throw a curveball to (a batter)

3 : to grade (something, such as an examination) on a curve

See curve defined for English-language learners

See curve defined for kids

Examples of curve in a Sentence

The tail curves over the dog's back.
The road curves to the left.
The fence curves in toward the side of the house.
The railing curves out near the observation platform.

Recent Examples of curve from the Web

Garden Homes has a storied history with its curving streets tucked into the wedge created by the intersection of West Atkinson and North Teutonia avenues.

— ashley luthern, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Photos: Milwaukee's Garden Homes neighborhood has a new plan," 11 May 2018
The team cruises through the steep, curving streets of the neighborhood with both sliding doors open.

— whitney eulich, The Christian Science Monitor, "Months after Maria, Puerto Ricans take recovery into their own hands," 7 May 2018
Getty Images In an unprecedented move for a royal, Princess Eugenie, the first cousin of Prince William and Prince Harry, has shared personal details about living with scoliosis—a medical condition where your spine is curved.

— rachel epstein, Marie Claire, "Princess Eugenie Had Scoliosis at 12 and Is Opening Up for the First Time," 2 July 2018
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge part of this zipper runs about 10,000 miles (16,000 km) in a curving path from the Arctic Ocean, through the middle of the Azores Islands, and down to the southern tip of Africa.

— National Geographic, "Smoking Ocean Vents Found in Surprisingly Shallow Water," 21 June 2018
The Alona Rahab was tied up at the end of a long, curving dock.

— earl swift, Outside Online, "The Incredible True Story of the Henrietta C.," 20 June 2018
As Leilani Avenue curves west, the satellite images shows smoke wafting off a lava flow.

— paul p. murphy, CNN, "These satellite images show how lava has seared neighborhoods in Hawaii," 16 May 2018
For the curved screen, Apple is looking into having the display curve inwardly from top to bottom rather than curving the screen at the edges.

— debby wu, Houston Chronicle, "iPhone manufacturers' slowing sales are a bad omen for Apple," 24 Apr. 2018
The highway curves through ranchland, then briefly splits to accommodate Arlee’s five-block downtown.

— abe streep, New York Times, "What the Arlee Warriors Were Playing For," 4 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'curve.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of curve

Latin curvare, from curvus

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1594

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

See Words from the same year

curve Synonyms

curve

noun

Definition of curve

1 a : a line especially when curved: such as

(1) : the path of a moving point

(2) : a line defined by an equation so that the coordinates of its points are functions of a single independent variable or parameter

b : the graph of a variable

2 : something curved: such as

a : a curving line of the human body

b curves plural : parenthesis

3 a : curveball

b : trick, deception

4 : a distribution indicating the relative performance of individuals measured against each other that is used especially in assigning good, medium, or poor grades to usually predetermined proportions of students rather than in assigning grades based on predetermined standards of achievement

5 : trend

a growth curve in advertising revenues

; especially : a prevalent trend or rate of progress —often used in the phrases ahead of the curve and behind the curve

companies that are behind the curve in adopting new technologies

—

curvy

play \ˈkər-vē\ adjective

See curve defined for English-language learners

Examples of curve in a Sentence

The dog's tail has a slight curve.
There is a sharp curve coming up in the road.
the price curve in relation to inflation

Recent Examples of curve from the Web

Davidson mixed fastballs, splitters and curves, his go-to pitch at Yucaipa (Calif.) High School.

— phil thompson, chicagotribune.com, "White Sox DH Matt Davidson throws everyone a curve in his major-league pitching debut," 30 June 2018
Tellier, whose arsenal includes fastballs, curves, sliders, and changeups, had an excellent spring for Braintree High, posting a 2.10 ERA.

— andrew higginbottom, BostonGlobe.com, "Braintree Legion players have something to prove," 29 June 2018
Of his 98 pitches, 48 were sinking curves, 32 of which were strikes.

— harvey fialkov, azcentral, "Zack Godley's curveball helps Diamondbacks fend off Marlins in win," 26 June 2018
The Bloomberg Markets reporter is interested in the flatter Treasury curve, with the two-year, 10-year spread closing at fresh cycle lows.

— josh petri, Bloomberg.com, "Your Evening Briefing," 11 May 2018
Trying to stay ahead of the curve, both Bird and Blue Duck have proactively decreed Alamo Plaza and the River Walk to be off limits to their scooters.

— richard a. marini, San Antonio Express-News, "Downtown gets the Bird with fun-to-ride scooters," 5 July 2018
USA TODAY Sports The All-Star Game is July 17, a week later than usual this year, which puts our annual exercise of picking the all-fantasy teams a little bit ahead of the curve.

— steve gardner, USA TODAY, "True fantasy All-Stars sustain their excellence over a full season," 3 July 2018
Skip, which pitches itself as the friendly and compliant company, is already ahead of the curve on that.

— johana bhuiyan, Recode, "Scooter companies tried to barge into San Francisco and got kicked out. Now they’re making big promises to get legal.," 26 June 2018
The Fed needs to be ahead of the curve, not behind it.

— susan tompor, Detroit Free Press, "How can Fed make investors uncertain? U-M professor says it's obvious," 22 June 2018

First Known Use of curve

1666

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

curve Synonyms

Synonyms

angle, arc, arch, bend, bow, crook, curvature, inflection, turn, wind;

Related Words

kink, warp;

circle, ring, ringlet, round;

coil, curl, curlicue (also curlycue);

buckle, convolution, flexure, fold, loop, spiral, swirl, twist, winding;

incurvature, reflection;

decline, inclination, incline, slope;

corner, turnoff;

dogleg, hairpin;

CURVE Defined for English Language Learners

curve

verb

Definition of curve for English Language Learners

: to form a curve : to turn or change from a straight line, shape, or path to a smooth, rounded one
: to cause (something) to form a curve

curve

noun

Definition of curve for English Language Learners

: a smooth, rounded line, shape, path, etc.
: a curved line on a graph that shows how something changes or is affected by one or more conditions
: a curving line or shape of the human body and especially of a woman's body