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
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
Jessie Schiewe, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2025
Video In an intimate scene in which the pair dance, Claire’s arm is bent, her fingers curled into a ballet hand.
—Vincent Tullo, New York Times, 16 May 2025
Clara McMahon, People.com, 23 May 2025
On the surface, the artist’s swirls, curls and modular shapes hit the eye with playful abandon.
—R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for curl
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Verb
Princess, a senior Chihuahua, rests with her eyes closed and body curled into a tight cocoon, as a frenetic hamster named Ponby stands upright, his eyes bulging.
—Jessie Schiewe, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2025
Video In an intimate scene in which the pair dance, Claire’s arm is bent, her fingers curled into a ballet hand.
—Vincent Tullo, New York Times, 16 May 2025
Noun
More than 1,000 Amazon shoppers just bought this five-in-one curling iron that comes with an array of attachments to create everything from tight to loose curls.
—Clara McMahon, People.com, 23 May 2025
On the surface, the artist’s swirls, curls and modular shapes hit the eye with playful abandon.
—R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for curl
Cite this Entry
“Curl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curl. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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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