curse

1 of 2

noun

1
: a prayer or invocation for harm or injury to come upon one : imprecation
People believe that there is a curse on the house.
2
: a profane or obscene oath or word
In an antechamber, his lieutenants suddenly heard the shattering of glass and angry curses.Sam Moses
3
: something that is cursed or accursed
"I … will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth."Jeremiah 26:6 (King James Version)
4
: evil or misfortune that comes as if in response to imprecation or as retribution
… intolerance is the greatest curse of every land …Kenneth Roberts
5
: a cause of great harm or misfortune : torment
His fame turned out to be a curse, not a blessing.
6
: menstruation
used with the

curse

2 of 2

verb

cursed; cursing

transitive verb

1
: to use profanely insolent language against : blaspheme
cursing his god
2
a
: to call upon divine or supernatural power to send injury upon
He was cursed and fears he will die.
b
: to execrate in fervent and often profane terms
cursed by future generations unless we act now
3
: to bring great evil upon : afflict
a land cursed with famine

intransitive verb

: to utter imprecations : swear
cursing loudly

Examples of curse in a Sentence

Noun I heard him utter a curse before the microphone was shut off. The witch pronounced a curse in some strange language. People believe that someone put a curse on the house. His fame turned out to be a curse, not a blessing. Verb He cursed himself for being so careless. She cursed her bad luck. In the book the evil witch curses the villagers.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Set-pieces: a blessing and a curse Barcelona scored 14 goals from corners in La Liga and the Champions League last season. Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2025 Such an inheritance can in some ways be a curse, according to former Ald. Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025
Verb
The cousin also claimed that Giovanni cursed at him, which led to a confrontation on the side of the road during which Giovanni pulled out a knife. Janelle Griffith, People.com, 19 Aug. 2025 Joao Pedro assumed Palmer’s old No 20, while fellow summer signing Liam Delap did not think twice about taking the No 9 shirt that some have claimed is cursed at Chelsea. The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for curse

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English curs, going back to Old English, of uncertain origin

Verb

Middle English cursen, going back to Old English cursian, probably derivative of curs curse entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of curse was before the 12th century

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Cite this Entry

“Curse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curse. Accessed 27 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

curse

1 of 2 noun
1
: a calling for harm or injury to come to someone
2
: a word or an expression used in cursing or swearing
3
: evil or misfortune that comes as if in answer to a curse
4
: a cause of great harm or evil

curse

2 of 2 verb
cursed; cursing
1
: to call upon divine power to send harm or evil upon
2
3
: to bring unhappiness or evil upon : afflict

More from Merriam-Webster on curse

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