curse 1 of 2

noun

ˈkərs How to pronounce curse (audio)
Definition of cursenext
1
as in condemnation
a prayer that harm will come to someone uttered a curse upon his persecutor from the scaffold

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in swear
a disrespectful or indecent word or expression started muttering curses after hitting his thumb with the hammer

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3
as in bane
a source of harm or misfortune intolerance of personal differences is a curse of humanity

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

curse

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to imprecate
to ask a divine power to send harm or evil upon I curse the guy who had the idea of having annoying salespeople call up innocent people to sell them things they don't want

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2
as in to plague
to cause persistent suffering to misfortunes and problems seem to have cursed everyone ever associated with that house

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to swear
to use offensive or indecent language you'll have to put a quarter in the jar every time you curse

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4
as in to blame
to use profane or obscene language at or about cursed him for showing up late, when he knew how important it was to be on time

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of curse
Noun
Directed by Sébastien Vanicek (2023’s Infested), the follow-up to 2023 reboot Evil Dead Rise stars Wednesday‘s Hunter Doohan in a story about curses lingering too long in a family and the undead that haunts them. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 7 July 2026 Brazil’s European curse at the World Cup continues thanks to Norway’s biggest star. — Andy Clayton, New York Daily News, 5 July 2026
Verb
The bio-andy reached the top of the stairs, and Neusch cursed the way the verdant plants had been allowed to flourish, narrowing the balcony. — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 26 June 2026 The Cubs lost 8-6 and the cheers turned to jeers and swears as relief pitcher Jacob Webb cursed his own performance after the game. — Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for curse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for curse
  1. condemnation
  2. swear
  3. bane
  4. condemn
  5. plague
  6. blame
  7. censure
  8. language
Noun
  • The government’s unprecedented move this week sparked condemnations across the political and legal spectrum, sounding the alarm that Israel was becoming a country whose executive no longer felt bound by the rule of law.
    — Dina Kraft, Christian Science Monitor, 10 July 2026
  • With no end in sight to the fighting after one year of bloodshed, the IOC reiterates its condemnation of the war in Ukraine, which is a blatant violation of the Olympic Truce that was in effect at the time, and the Olympic Charter.
    — Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 July 2026
Definition of condemnation
Noun
  • Why fill with swears a show that might otherwise have been appointment viewing for the whole family?
    — Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 31 May 2026
  • The event finds more than 20,000 people participating in an annual bar crawl throughout the city while dressed in their best holiday attire, tackiest Santa Claus costumes, and ugliest Christmas swears.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 15 Apr. 2026
Definition of swear
Noun
  • Now, decades later, weekday lunches have become the bane of my existence.
    — Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 12 June 2026
  • Thankfully, the in-room fax machines that were the bane of Bob Harris’ existence are long gone, too.
    — Carrie Bell, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
Definition of bane
Verb
  • Speakers also explored the intersection between faith and democratic values, condemning discriminatory law enforcement practices and cutbacks of voting rights.
    — Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 16 July 2026
  • In March, Ben Saul, UN special rapporteur on counterterrorism and human rights, condemned both US and Iranian threats to target civilian energy infrastructure.
    — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 15 July 2026
Definition of condemn
Verb
  • But one low-key issue plaguing the KC staff is the long ball.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 12 July 2026
  • Housing affordability continues to plague buyers The new law arrives as housing affordability remains strained.
    — Sarah Agostino,Mike Winters, CNBC, 11 July 2026
Definition of plague
Verb
  • Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei blamed Washington for the chaos gripping the region.
    — Jon Gambrell, Fortune, 13 July 2026
  • Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei blamed Washington for the chaos gripping the Middle East.
    — Jon Gambrell, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2026
Definition of blame
Noun
  • After the censure on Monday, Hulsey again tried to exclude the city administrator from council business when the governing body went into executive session.
    — Rachel Royster July 8, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 July 2026
  • The escalation should start with a warning from the chair, followed by a motion of the board of censure (asking the owner to quiet down), followed by a motion to eject the offending owner from the meeting.
    — Kelly G. Richardson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 July 2026
Definition of censure
Noun
  • Handwritten messages in Thai and other languages, including Korean, were left alongside white flowers, expressing condolences to the victims.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 July 2026
  • The author’s debut novel was published in 1974, spent 14 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list and has been translated into more than 35 languages.
    — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 13 July 2026
Definition of language

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curs
curse
cursed
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Cite this Entry

“Curse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/curse. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on curse

Nglish: Translation of curse for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about curse

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