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to curve

to curve

22 2.8
To bend into a smooth, rounded shape
  • verb
  • /kɜrv/
translation icon : curvar
  • Its wingtips curve up at the ends, so from below they look cut off.
  • curve inward
  • curve upward
  • curve back

So things like stars or planets curve the space-time around them.

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Examples

  • When he smiles, the right side of his mouth curves up more than the left.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • The beat of the drum leads me across gentle slopes as the road curves around lakes.

    Academic text (1998)
  • So I do want to curve it a little bit.

  • There are ways to curve the time you spend with your family.

  • Just past the bridge, it rises and curves up a small hill.

    Academic text (2010)
  • It curves a little to the left.

  • Today, we hiked a ridge that curves out of sight of Charlie's slope.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • There's a place in Riverside Park at 91st Street... ...where the path curves and there's a garden.

  • When she looked down, the stairwell appeared to curve tighter and tighter like the inside of a conch shell.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • The road will curve sharply as you approach the intersection.

Synonyms

to twist
vsto curve
231 1.7

To turn something so it becomes a curved or spiral shape

describes general smooth bends or turns instead of spiral motions
to wind
vsto curve
221 2.9

To move along a curving path with many turns

focuses more on smooth rounded shapes or turns rather than twists
to arch
vsto curve
17 3.7

To bend into a curved shape

is more general, applying to any bend or rounded path not only raised shapes
to flex
vsto curve
17 3.2

To curve under pressure, like a branch or metal

refers more generally to forming a rounded shape or turning
to arc
vsto curve
3 4.4

To move in a smooth curved path, like lightning across the sky

is broader, meaning any smooth or sharp bend or turn
to round off
vsto curve
3.8

To make a sharp edge or corner smooth and curved

refers more widely to bending or turning, not only edge finishing

Antonyms

114 2.5

Make something straight and in the right position

Idioms

Having more knowledge or skill than most others in a field

to throw a curve
  • Informal
1 8.4

To surprise or confuse someone by doing something they did not expect

Ahead of most others in new ideas or tools

Compounds

learning curve
  • Specialized
14 3.9

How quickly someone learns a new task over time

bell curve
  • Specialized
7 4.6

A curved line on a graph showing most results near the average and fewer at the ends

curve ball
  • Specialized
3 5.0

A baseball throw with spin that curves as it reaches the batter

demand curve
  • Specialized
2 5.1

A line on a graph that shows how price affects how much people buy

supply curve
  • Specialized
1 4.6

A graph that shows how much producers will sell at different prices

1 4.8

A bend in the road that hides the view ahead

exponential curve
  • Specialized
1 5.8

A curve on a graph that rises or falls very quickly

Laffer curve
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A graph showing how tax rates change the money the government gets, rising then falling when taxes get too high

bell-shaped curve
  • Specialized
1 4.2

A curve shaped like a bell that shows most values near the average

characteristic curve
  • Specialized
1 7.2

A graph that shows how one device property changes as another thing changes, like voltage or temperature

learning curve
  • Specialized
1 4.0

A graph showing how a computer model gets better with more training data

sine curve
  • Specialized
1 6.8

A smooth wavy graph that repeats regularly, for example y = sin x

closed curve
  • Specialized
6.5

A curve with no endpoints that comes back to its starting point, like a circle

cosine curve
  • Specialized
7.4

A smooth repeating wave line that follows the equation y = a cos x

cotangent curve
  • Specialized
9.2

A graph showing the cotangent function, repeating every pi and with vertical lines it never reaches

7.3

A graph that shows how loud a speaker or amplifier is at different frequencies

Gaussian curve
  • Specialized
7.2

A bell-shaped curve the same on both sides that shows how values are near the average

indifference curve
  • Specialized
8.1

A line on a graph showing combinations of goods a buyer likes the same

Jordan curve
  • Specialized
9.9

A closed loop on a flat surface, like a circle, that does not cross itself

normal curve
  • Specialized
4.6

A bell-shaped line that shows most numbers near the middle and fewer far from it

regression curve
  • Specialized
6.4

A smooth line or curve fitted to data points to show how two things are related

pedal curve
  • Specialized
9.9

A curve formed by points where perpendiculars from a fixed point meet a curve's tangents

tangent curve
  • Specialized
8.1

A graph showing how tan x values change as the angle x changes

simple closed curve
  • Specialized
7.9

A curved line on a flat surface that makes a closed loop without crossing itself, like a circle

How Curved

to loop
28 2.5
to arch
17 3.7
to curve
22 2.8
to bend
268 1.0

Surface Forms

curve infinitive
curved past
curved past participle
curving present participle
curves third person singular

Etymology

Curve comes from an old Latin root curvus meaning 'bent', and you can see the same root in the English word curvy. So to curve something is to bend it or make it move in a smooth, rounded path.