1
as in coward
a person who shows a shameful lack of courage in the face of danger
denounced as curs those police officers who deserted their posts during the hurricane and its aftermath
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bastard
a person whose behavior is offensive to others
only a cur would abandon friends in their time of need
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of cur
His Orlok is more feral and red-blooded than previous iterations, appearing swathed in ursine furs and accompanied by mangy curs.
—
Celia Mattison, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
His arch nemesis, Richard Nixon, had fled the White House like a diseased cur after the Watergate scandal and in his disappearance from the political scene, Thompson lost perhaps his greatest muse.
—Rory Feehan, SPIN, 9 Nov. 2023
On a blustery Saturday afternoon in April, 18 of 25 groups there had dogs off a leash, including this reporter with her black mouth cur mix, Archer.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Aug. 2023
In 1957, four mountain music players from Georgia, Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee discovered a shared love for the old mountain curs, and organized a breeding effort that saved the original mountain cur from extinction.
—Kyle Wintersteen, Field & Stream, 30 Jan. 2023
Behind the bar, the enormous portrait of the family’s late dog Rio — a black mouth cur for whom the restaurant is named — watches over the room.
—Sarah Blaskovich, Dallas News, 21 Dec. 2020
Pop it into first gear, low range, and this cur will claw halfway up the Washington Monument with no driver at the wheel.
—John Phillips, Car and Driver, 24 Mar. 2020
She black mouth cur, a Southern herding dog, Southern hunting dog.
—John Shea, SFChronicle.com, 2 Oct. 2019
From Kim Kardashian’s cur-our silk tank dress to Kendall’s black patent strapless look, Khloé’s embellished silver pants and crop top and Jordyn Woods’ gold halter mini, here are all the can’t miss looks of the night.
—Avery Matera, Teen Vogue, 11 Aug. 2018
Celia Mattison, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
His arch nemesis, Richard Nixon, had fled the White House like a diseased cur after the Watergate scandal and in his disappearance from the political scene, Thompson lost perhaps his greatest muse.
—Rory Feehan, SPIN, 9 Nov. 2023
On a blustery Saturday afternoon in April, 18 of 25 groups there had dogs off a leash, including this reporter with her black mouth cur mix, Archer.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Aug. 2023
In 1957, four mountain music players from Georgia, Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee discovered a shared love for the old mountain curs, and organized a breeding effort that saved the original mountain cur from extinction.
—Kyle Wintersteen, Field & Stream, 30 Jan. 2023
Behind the bar, the enormous portrait of the family’s late dog Rio — a black mouth cur for whom the restaurant is named — watches over the room.
—Sarah Blaskovich, Dallas News, 21 Dec. 2020
Pop it into first gear, low range, and this cur will claw halfway up the Washington Monument with no driver at the wheel.
—John Phillips, Car and Driver, 24 Mar. 2020
She black mouth cur, a Southern herding dog, Southern hunting dog.
—John Shea, SFChronicle.com, 2 Oct. 2019
From Kim Kardashian’s cur-our silk tank dress to Kendall’s black patent strapless look, Khloé’s embellished silver pants and crop top and Jordyn Woods’ gold halter mini, here are all the can’t miss looks of the night.
—Avery Matera, Teen Vogue, 11 Aug. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cur
Noun
-
Come back and fight like Texans rather than running and hiding like cowards.—
James Bickerton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Aug. 2025
-
Today’s Republican Party is a bunch of weak, spineless cowards who cower in obedient terror at Trump’s feet.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
12 July 2025
Noun
-
Responding officers found the dog, and advised the owner to take the dog in.—
cleveland,
cleveland,
13 Sep. 2023
-
Police brought in hundreds of law enforcement personnel with dogs, armored carriers, horses and helicopters that circled overhead.—
Maryclaire Dale, Marc Levy and Michael Rubinkam,
Anchorage Daily News,
13 Sep. 2023
Noun
-
Vendors sold spicy dishes traditional to their countries like Jamaican jerk chicken and tacos from Mexico and the not-so-spicy, like raclette, a dish traditional to Switzerland, where molten cheese from a wheel of raclette cheese is poured over potatoes and other foods.—
Dominick Williams
August 17,
Kansas City Star,
17 Aug. 2025
-
Bertha was right, George is being a jerk, and Larry needs to wipe that smug smile off his face.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
11 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Since then, Tank has called Jake a clown and easy work.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Aug. 2025
-
That was the problem: women were not meant to be clowns.—
April White,
JSTOR Daily,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
In Wyoming, bats are one of the two main carriers of rabies, the other being skunks.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
13 Aug. 2025
-
The opossum left the smelly skunk under my slightly ajar bedroom window.—
Joan Morris,
Mercury News,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
More in Outdoor news: A Tennessee hiker died after picking up a snake.—
Katie Wiseman,
IndyStar,
22 Aug. 2025
-
While rainbow snakes are not venomous, snake bites are not uncommon in the United States, with approximately 7,000 to 8,000 people bitten by venomous snakes in the United States annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
After more than two hours of flying rats, the toss was still going strong.—
Nathaniel Rich,
Harpers Magazine,
20 Aug. 2025
-
The researchers also tested the targeted delivery of ketamine to the rats' prefrontal cortex – which regulates emotional stress – to successfully calm their anxious behavior.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
19 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cur. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share