curl

Collocations

30

1

(noun.) piece of hair

ADJ

stray

A stray curl fell across his forehead during the important meeting.

tangled, tumbling, unruly, untamed, wayward

His untamed curls fell across his forehead as he bent over his book.

damp

VERB + CURL

press/push/stroke back, smooth back/down | ruffle, run your fingers through

tease

She teased her curls with a curling iron to make them look fuller.

shake

He shook the curls from his eyes as he walked through the rain.

CURL + VERB

fall, tumble

Her dark curls fell across her shoulders as she bent down to pick up the book.

bounce

frame sth

The child's golden curls framed her round face perfectly in the old photograph.

PREP

in ~s

Smoke rose in curls from the candle before it was blown out.

through the/your ~s

He ran his fingers through his curls while thinking about the difficult question.

PHRASES

a cascade/mass/mop of curls

She had a beautiful mop of curls that bounced when she walked.

lose its curl

My new jeans lose their curl after a few washes.

2

(noun.) sth with a curved round shape

ADJ

faint, little, slight

A slight curl of smoke rose from the cigarette sitting in the ashtray.

PREP

~ of

The baker shaped a curl of dough before placing it in the oven.

3

(verb.)

ADV

tightly | slightly

up

The cat curled up on the warm blanket by the fireplace.

PREP

around/round

The cat curled around the cushion on the sofa and fell asleep.

from

Steam curled from the hot cup of tea as she held it in her hands.

into

She curled into the comfortable armchair with her favorite book and a warm cup of tea.

PHRASES

be/lie/sit curled up

The cat was curled up in a sunny spot on the kitchen floor.

curl (up) at the edges

The old letter had started to curl up at the edges from years of storage in a drawer.

Definitions

noun

1

A curving piece or lock of hair; a ringlet.

My hair doesn't have much curl.

[…]she took it down, looked long and fondly at it, then, shaking her curls about her face, as if to hide the act, pressed it to her lips and seemed to weep over it in an uncontrollable paroxysm of tender grief.

2

A curved stroke or shape.

[…] the backs of their necks and their forelegs are decorated with curls and their necks and bodies are covered with fine, undulating lines.

3

A spin making the trajectory of an object curve.

It is possible to use the wind which blows from the left to the right by playing well into the wind with the slightest bit of curl on the ball[…]

4

Movement of a moving rock away from a straight line.

5

Any exercise performed by bending the arm, wrist, or leg on the exertion against resistance, especially those that train the biceps.

Now do a curl and an overhead press, keeping your palms facing in.

verb

1

To cause to move in a curve.

He picked the ball up about forty yards out on the left wing, left a trail of Arsenal defenders in his wake, and curled the ball round Geoff Barnett as he came right out into the far corner.

Campbell should have scored but missed with a header from four yards at the far post before Taylor-Fletcher came close to adding a second when he curled an effort over the stranded Reina, who should have been punished for a poor clearance.

2

To make into a curl or spiral.

She curls her spine; she wedges a pillow between her knees.

3

To assume the shape of a curl or spiral.

It seemed to me that Mr. St. John's under lip protruded, and his upper lip curled a moment.

4

To move in curves.

Clouds curled down from the mountains.

The ball curled to a stop within six inches of the hole.

5

To take part in the sport of curling.

I curl at my local club every weekend.

name

1

A surname.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

noun — a strand or cluster of hair

noun — a round shape formed by a series of concentric circles (as f

verb — form a curl, curve, or kink

verb — twist or roll into coils or ringlets

wave

verb — wind around something in coils or loops

Antonyms

uncoil

Idioms & Phrases

curl someone's hair

To frighten, dismay, or excite someone thoroughly.

"I'm not hankering for the dramatic in life, but we had a run last night that would curl your hair."

Example Bank

6

01

My hair doesn't have much curl.

Wiktionary

02

[…]she took it down, looked long and fondly at it, then, shaking her curls about her face, as if to hide the act, pressed it to her lips and seemed to weep over it in an uncontrollable paroxysm of ten

Wiktionary

03

Serene, smiling, enigmatic, she faced him with no fear whatever showing in her dark eyes.[…]She put back a truant curl from her forehead where it had sought egress to the world, and looked him full in

Wiktionary

04

He picked the ball up about forty yards out on the left wing, left a trail of Arsenal defenders in his wake, and curled the ball round Geoff Barnett as he came right out into the far corner.

Wiktionary

05

Campbell should have scored but missed with a header from four yards at the far post before Taylor-Fletcher came close to adding a second when he curled an effort over the stranded Reina, who should h

Wiktionary

06

She curls her spine; she wedges a pillow between her knees.

Wiktionary

Collocations

(noun.) piece of hair

(noun.) sth with a curved round shape

(verb.)

Definitions

Thesaurus

Synonyms

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

curl someone's hair

Example Bank

Usage Notes

Your note