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

curve

verb
 
 
/kɜːv/
 
/kɜːrv/
[intransitive, transitive]
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they curve
 
/kɜːv/
 
/kɜːrv/
he / she / it curves
 
/kɜːvz/
 
/kɜːrvz/
past simple curved
 
/kɜːvd/
 
/kɜːrvd/
past participle curved
 
/kɜːvd/
 
/kɜːrvd/
-ing form curving
 
/ˈkɜːvɪŋ/
 
/ˈkɜːrvɪŋ/
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  1. to move or make something move in the shape of a curve; to be in the shape of a curve
    • a curving staircase
    • gently curving streets
    • + adv./prep. The road curved around the bay.
    • The ball curved through the air.
    • His lips curved in a smile.
    • curve something A smile curved his lips.
    Extra Examples
    • His mouth curved into a smile.
    • The path curved down to the bay.
    • The road curved away around the back of the hill.
    • a gently curving stream
    Topics Colours and Shapesb2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • gently
    • slightly
    • gracefully
    • …
    preposition
    • around
    • round
    • towards/​toward
    • …
    phrases
    • curve into a smile
    See full entry
    Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin curvare ‘to bend’, from curvus ‘bent’. The noun dates from the late 17th cent.
See curve in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee curve in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: curve

Nearby words

trait
noun
 
 
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