curl
(kûrl)
[Middle English crullen, curlen, from crulle, curly, perhaps of Middle Low German origin.]
verb: curled, curl·ing, curls.
transitive verb
- To twist (the hair, for example) into ringlets or coils.
- To form into a coiled or spiral shape: curled the ends of the ribbon.
- To decorate with coiled or spiral shapes.
- To raise and turn under (the upper lip), as in snarling or showing scorn.
- Sports To lift (a weight) by performing a curl.
intransitive verb
- To form ringlets or coils.
- To assume a spiral or curved shape.
- To move in a curve or spiral: The wave curled over the surfer.
- Sports To engage in curling.
noun
- Something with a spiral or coiled shape.
- A coil or ringlet of hair.
- A treatment in which the hair is curled.
- The act of curling: the curl of a meandering river.
- The state of being curled.
- Sports A weightlifting exercise using one or two hands, in which a weight held at the thigh or to the side of the body is raised to the chest or shoulder and then lowered without moving the upper arms, shoulders, or back.
- Any of various plant diseases in which the leaves roll up.
phrasal verbs
- curl up
- To assume a position with the legs drawn up: The child curled up in an armchair to read.
