curled; curling; curls
1
: to form into coils or ringlets
curl one's hair
2
: to form into a curved shape : twist
curled his lip in a sneer
3
: to furnish with curls
1
: a lock of hair that coils : ringlet
2
: something having a spiral or winding form : coil
4
: a curved or spiral marking in the grain of wood
5
: a hollow arch of water formed when the crest of a breaking wave spills forward
6
: a usually short pass pattern in football in which a receiver runs downfield and then curves back toward the line of scrimmage
7
: a body-building exercise in which a weight held with the palms facing up is raised and lowered by flexing only the wrists or elbows
Synonyms
Examples of curl in a Sentence
Verb
She curls her hair every morning.
Can you curl your tongue?
The baby's fingers were tightly curled.
The snake curled itself around its prey.
The cat curled into a ball and went to sleep.
We saw smoke curling from the cottage chimney.
A snake curled around his leg.
Noun
Her daughter has cute blonde curls.
She likes to wear her hair in curls.
The conditioner will help you keep the curl of your hair.
His hair has a natural curl.
He did 12 wrist curls.
Recent Examples on the Web
Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2024
Case was curled inside the smallest hyperbaric chamber at Siebe Gorman, a British diving equipment manufacturer, for the fourth day of testing.
—Rachel Lance, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024
Using a medium barrel iron, curl the ends to create a bouncy curl finish.
—Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
Saka curled a wonderful effort into the corner of the net in the 12th minute, sparking wild celebrations amongst the Arsenal faithful who tried to create an atmosphere worthy of the occasion.
—Ben Church, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
Elastane, the thread that gives stretch jeans their stretchiness, will curl and then collapse when compromised too much.
—Jane Herman, Vogue, 7 Apr. 2024
When performing curls for your biceps, for example, exhale while curling the weight up from your thighs to your chin (the high exertion phase), then inhale on the way down.
—Bryant Stamford, The Courier-Journal, 11 Apr. 2024
Next to the river was a tree, and someone had noticed a mottled python curled around one of its branches.
—Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
This unique blend includes tomato ferment too, which helps support curl formation with its vitamin-rich content.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Marci Robin, Allure, 23 Apr. 2024
Brittany seemed to channel Swift’s signature curls with her voluminous curly hairstyle.
—Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 22 Apr. 2024
His natural curls fall like Swift's on her first album cover.
—Bryan West, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024
Dahlke had just switched his sights from a bighorn sheep ram with a full curl to a ewe.
—Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 11 Apr. 2024
In the music video, time creeps in on Rose as the sun’s shadow shifts across his Chalamet-esque curls, indicating the day coming to an end.
—Sarah Grant, SPIN, 10 Apr. 2024
Actress Kerry Washington wearing a strapless black cutout gown at the 68th Emmy Awards in 2016 with her curls out was a maternity-style moment that still lives in our minds.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 11 Apr. 2024
Instead of her usual long blonde curls, Hilton wore her hair in a sleek ponytail, with one long face-framing piece to the side.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 10 Apr. 2024
Mary’s mouth curls into a smile, which then quickly fades.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 5 Apr. 2024
Verb
His feet are curled in childish concentration; soft sunlight dapples the scene.
—Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2024
Case was curled inside the smallest hyperbaric chamber at Siebe Gorman, a British diving equipment manufacturer, for the fourth day of testing.
—Rachel Lance, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024
Using a medium barrel iron, curl the ends to create a bouncy curl finish.
—Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
Saka curled a wonderful effort into the corner of the net in the 12th minute, sparking wild celebrations amongst the Arsenal faithful who tried to create an atmosphere worthy of the occasion.
—Ben Church, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
Elastane, the thread that gives stretch jeans their stretchiness, will curl and then collapse when compromised too much.
—Jane Herman, Vogue, 7 Apr. 2024
When performing curls for your biceps, for example, exhale while curling the weight up from your thighs to your chin (the high exertion phase), then inhale on the way down.
—Bryant Stamford, The Courier-Journal, 11 Apr. 2024
Next to the river was a tree, and someone had noticed a mottled python curled around one of its branches.
—Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
This unique blend includes tomato ferment too, which helps support curl formation with its vitamin-rich content.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Noun
Mowry wears her natural curls in lots of different ways: in a short and bouncy style, in a shoulder-length layered shape, middle-parted into little ponytails, and much more.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 23 Apr. 2024
Brittany seemed to channel Swift’s signature curls with her voluminous curly hairstyle.
—Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 22 Apr. 2024
His natural curls fall like Swift's on her first album cover.
—Bryan West, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024
Dahlke had just switched his sights from a bighorn sheep ram with a full curl to a ewe.
—Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 11 Apr. 2024
In the music video, time creeps in on Rose as the sun’s shadow shifts across his Chalamet-esque curls, indicating the day coming to an end.
—Sarah Grant, SPIN, 10 Apr. 2024
Actress Kerry Washington wearing a strapless black cutout gown at the 68th Emmy Awards in 2016 with her curls out was a maternity-style moment that still lives in our minds.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 11 Apr. 2024
Instead of her usual long blonde curls, Hilton wore her hair in a sleek ponytail, with one long face-framing piece to the side.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 10 Apr. 2024
Mary’s mouth curls into a smile, which then quickly fades.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 5 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'curl.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near curl
Cite this Entry
“Curl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curl. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
curl
1 of 2 verb1
: to form into or grow in coils or ringlets
curled her hair
2
: to take or move in a curved form
smoke curling from the chimney
Biographical Definition
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