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Definition of curse verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

curse

verb
 
/kɜːs/
 
/kɜːrs/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they curse
 
/kɜːs/
 
/kɜːrs/
he / she / it curses
 
/ˈkɜːsɪz/
 
/ˈkɜːrsɪz/
past simple cursed
 
/kɜːst/
 
/kɜːrst/
past participle cursed
 
/kɜːst/
 
/kɜːrst/
-ing form cursing
 
/ˈkɜːsɪŋ/
 
/ˈkɜːrsɪŋ/
Phrasal Verbs
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  1. [intransitive] to swear
    • He hit his head as he stood up and cursed loudly.
    Extra Examples
    • He cursed under his breath as the hammer slipped.
    • She was cursing and screaming at me just because I was late.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • roundly
    • loudly
    • aloud
    preposition
    • for
    phrases
    • curse and swear
    • curse and shout, yell, scream, etc.
    • curse the day
    See full entry
  2. [transitive] to say rude things to somebody or think rude things about somebody/something
    • curse somebody/something/yourself (that) She cursed her bad luck.
    • curse somebody/something/yourself for something He cursed himself for his stupidity.
    Extra Examples
    • He was now cursing the day he had ever got involved in the project.
    • She cursed her luck that she had had to queue for so long.
    • I cursed her roundly for being late.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • roundly
    • loudly
    • aloud
    preposition
    • for
    phrases
    • curse and swear
    • curse and shout, yell, scream, etc.
    • curse the day
    See full entry
  3. [transitive] curse somebody/something to use a magic word or phrase against somebody in order to harm them
    • Legend has it that the whole village had been cursed by a witch.
    compare hex
  4. Word OriginOld English, of unknown origin.
See curse in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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