normal curve

noun

plural normal curves
: the symmetrical bell-shaped curve of a normal distribution : bell curve

Examples of normal curve in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That can have some distinct physical effects: Prolonged sitting can cause posture changes, like the flattening of the spine’s normal curve and chronic muscle deconditioning, which can make your muscles fatigue faster during workouts, research in the journal Medicina found. Ashley Mateo, SELF, 28 June 2023 In fact, back pain impacts approximately 84% of adults.1 Lumbar support pillows help maintain the normal curves of the spine while seated and relieve back pain and provide support to the spine and back muscles. Michelle Pugle, Health, 9 Mar. 2023 The high torque requires feathering the throttle off the line to avoid excess wheelspin, then standing on the gas when the revs begin to climb a somewhat normal curve. Larry Griffin, Car and Driver, 3 Feb. 2023 The curve was 105 degrees; a normal curve at the top of the spine, known as kyphosis, is 40 degrees. Ed Stannard, Hartford Courant, 6 Sep. 2022 When unemployment shot up from 4.6% in 2007 to 10% in 2009, the normal curve predicted deep deflation. Neel Kashkari, WSJ, 21 May 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of normal curve was in 1894

Dictionary Entries Near normal curve

Cite this Entry

“Normal curve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/normal%20curve. Accessed 29 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

normal curve

noun
: a symmetrical bell-shaped curve that is often used as an approximation to the graph of scores or measurements consisting of many bunched values near the average in the middle and a few large and a few small values arranged toward the opposite ends
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!