curdle

verb

cur·​dle ˈkər-dᵊl 

curdled; curdling ˈkərd-liŋ 

ˈkər-dᵊl-iŋ

intransitive verb

1

: to form curds

also : to congeal as if by forming curds

a scream curdled in her throat

2

: to go bad or wrong : spoil

transitive verb

1

: to cause curds to form in

curdled milk

2

: spoil, sour

Examples of curdle in a Sentence

Too much heat will make the custard curdle.

Too much heat will curdle the custard.

Recent Examples on the Web

Chastain’s ticking-time-bomb-of-a-performance beautifully demonstrates how passion can curdle into addiction and abuse. —Beatrice Loayza, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025

Excessive depictions of pain, as in Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life, can curdle understanding into a kind of grimy sympathy or, worse, distaste. —Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2025

What started as a ticket curdled into a trip to the Hammocks station in handcuffs and a booking for resisting arrest at the Turner Guilford Knight jail. —Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Jan. 2025

In a few short hours, the celebration that Tommy’s family had expected curdled to shock and grief. —Wendy Grossman Kantor, People.com, 8 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

metathetic variant of cruddle, crudle, frequentative of crud entry 2

First Known Use

1585, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing curdle

• make someone's blood curdle

Rhymes for curdle

• girdle
• hurdle

Kids Definition

curdle

verb

cur·​dle ˈkərd-ᵊl 

curdled; curdling ˈkərd-liŋ 

-ᵊl-iŋ

1

: to form curds

2

: to cause curds to form in

high heat curdled the custard

3

—used in expressions such as make one's blood curdle to indicate a feeling of terror

a ghost story that will make your blood curdle