cure

Pluralcures

Formscures, curing, cured

1. 1
   medical treatmentnouncountable

   Something that makes a sick or hurt person healthy again.

   Like a key that opens the door back to good health.

   Doctors are still searching for a cure for the common cold.

   Her grandmother believed honey was a cure for almost any illness.

   UsageSay a cure for an illness.

   Similarcurative

2. 2
   heal (illness)verbtransitive

   To make an illness go away or make a sick person or animal healthy again.

   This medicine can cure the fever in a few days.

   Doctors hope the new drug will cure the disease entirely.

   UsageYou cure an illness, or cure a person of it.

   Similarheal

   Note
3. 3
   keep meatverbtransitive

   To keep food from going bad, often by adding salt.

   Like packing food in salt so it lasts a long time.

   People used to cure meat with salt to keep it through the winter.

   They cure the fish by rubbing it with salt and leaving it to dry.

   UsageYou often see cured meat and cured ham.

   Similarpreserve, salt

4. 4
   being healednouncountable

   The act of healing, or being made healthy again after an illness or injury.

   The patient's complete cure surprised everyone at the hospital.

   After months of treatment, her cure was finally complete.

   Similarrecovery, healing

   Note
5. 5
   solutionnounfigurativelycountable

   A way to fix a problem.

   Like a fix that makes a problem disappear.

   Hard work is not always the cure for money troubles.

   She thinks a long vacation is the cure for her stress.

   UsageSay the cure for a problem.

   Similarremedy, solution, answer, antidote

6. 6
   remove a flawverbtransitive

   To get rid of a fault or bad habit in someone or something.

   Practice can cure most beginners of their bad habits.

   Living alone for a year cured him of his messy habits.

   UsageSay cure someone of a bad habit.

   Similarrid, break

7. 7
   hardening processnouncountable or uncountable

   The process of a soft or liquid material, like glue, becoming hard.

   Like baking dough into bread: once it sets, it can't go back to dough.

   The rubber gets its strength from a chemical cure.

   A proper cure stops the plastic from melting again.

   Note
8. 8
   set hardverbintransitive

   To slowly become hard or set, like glue, paint, or cement drying.

   Like jelly setting in the fridge until it is firm.

   The glue needs to cure overnight before you move the chair.

   Leave the fresh paint to cure for a full day.

   Similarset, harden, solidify

9. 9
   verbtransitive

   To treat a material so it lasts or is ready to use, or to go through this treatment.

   Like baking wet clay in an oven until it turns hard and strong.

   Workers must cure the concrete before they build on it.

   The factory cures the rubber with heat to make it strong.

10. 10
    preserving methodnouncountable

    A way of keeping food from spoiling, such as by smoking it.

    The fish gets its rich flavor from a long smoke cure.

    This cure takes several days and uses only salt and wood smoke.

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