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/ |
- 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 ExamplesTopics Colours and Shapesb2- 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
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- gently
- slightly
- gracefully
- …
- around
- round
- towards/toward
- …
- curve into a smile
Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin curvare ‘to bend’, from curvus ‘bent’. The noun dates from the late 17th cent.Want to learn more?
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curve