curl up

verb

curled up; curling up; curls up

intransitive verb

: to arrange oneself in or as if in a ball or curl
curl up by the fire
curl up with a good book

Examples of curl up in a Sentence

I love to curl up in a big chair with a book.
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
As the weather gets cooler there's no better way to spend your evenings than curling up on the couch and binge-watching a new series. Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 2 Nov. 2024 For many of us, our first exposure to death involved an animal: the firefly in the Mason jar, the bird beneath the window, the deer beside the highway, the beloved cat gone gaunt with age, curled up stiff below the basement stairs. Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024 The strips of corn on the cob curled up a bit during the cooking process. Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register, 25 Oct. 2024 This one’s for the people who are always curling up in weird sitting positions. Blake Bakkila, Architectural Digest, 8 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for curl up 

Word History

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of curl up was in 1840

Dictionary Entries Near curl up

Cite this Entry

“Curl up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curl%20up. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

curl up

verb
: to arrange oneself in or as if in a curl or ball
curl up with a good book

More from Merriam-Webster on curl up

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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