curve

SayKURV/kɚv/UK · AUS/kɜːv/

14 meanings of curve

1
nouncountable
A gentle bend in a road, path, or river.
Like the soft bend a river makes as it flows around a hill.
The road has a sharp curve just past the bridge.
Drivers should slow down for the curves on the mountain pass.
Similarbend, turn
2
nouncountable
A smooth line that bends and has no straight parts or corners.
Like the shape your pencil makes when you draw a smile.
Draw a curve instead of a straight line here.
The artist filled the page with soft curves.
Similararc
3
verbtransitive
To bend something into a rounded shape.
Like bending a straw into a loop.
You can curve the wire with your hands.
She curved the cardboard to make a tube.
Similarbend, arch, bow
Oppositestraighten
4
verbintransitive
To slowly bend or turn away from a straight line.
Like a path that slowly turns instead of going straight.
The roads curve sharply near the cliffs.
The river curved away from the town.
Similarbend, turn, veer, swing, wind
5
verbtransitive
To make something move off a straight path.
Like spinning a ball so it bends in the air.
The pitcher can curve the ball toward the batter.
She curved the shot around the defender.
Similarbend, swerve
6
nouncolloquialcountable
The attractive, rounded shape of a woman's body.
The dress showed off her curves.
Those new jeans hug every curve she has.
Note
7
nouncountable
A way of grading where scores are adjusted so more students get higher marks.
Like adjusting a race so more runners get a prize, even the slower ones.
The teacher used a curve so more students passed.
Without a curve, half the class would have failed.
Note
8
verbtransitive
To change students' grades so the scores fit a balanced pattern and more pass.
Like changing the rules of a game so more players can win.
The teacher decided to curve the test.
They curved the final grades after the hard exam.
Similarscale, adjust, normalize
Note
9
nouncountable
A line that bends smoothly through space and has length but no width.
Like a bent piece of string laid out on paper.
The graph showed a smooth curve rising to the right.
Mathematicians study many different kinds of curves.
Note
10
nouncountable
In math, a rule that matches each point on a line to a spot in a larger space.
Like a recipe that tells each step where to go, not just the finished path.
When you draw a curve in math, you are really matching each point on a line to a spot in space.
Two curves can follow different rules yet trace the same points.
Note

Practice

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Origin

It comes from the Latin word curvus, meaning "bent" or "curved."