English Explanatory Dictionary

curse

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A supernatural detriment or hindrance; a bane.
  2. A prayer or imprecation that harm may befall someone.
  3. The cause of great harm, evil, or misfortune; that which brings evil or severe affliction; torment.
  4. A vulgar epithet.
  5. A woman's menses.
verb
  1. To place a curse upon (a person or object).
  2. To call upon divine or supernatural power to send injury upon; to imprecate evil upon; to execrate.
  3. To speak or shout a vulgar curse or epithet.
  4. To use offensive or morally inappropriate language.
  5. To bring great evil upon; to be the cause of serious harm or unhappiness to; to furnish with that which will be a cause of deep trouble; to afflict or injure grievously; to harass or torment.

Pronunciation

/kɜːs/ /kɝs/ en-us-curse.ogg

Word forms

curse curses cursing cursed curst

Etymology

From Middle English curse, kors, cors, curs, from Old English cors, curs (“curse”), of unknown origin.

Synonyms

ban hex jinx malediction anathema affliction plague cussword expletive bad word curse curse word cuss dirty word foul word four-letter word oath obscenity profanity swear vulgarity courses period Aunt Flo Aunt Frieda Aunt Rose blob blood sports Bloody Mary blowjob week breaching the beaver dam catamenia caught short Charlie closed for maintenance come crook country cousin crimson tide crimson wave curse of Eve curse of Tom dropping clots entertaining the general fallen to the Communists fall off the roof flowers flashing the red flag flying baker flying the red flag friend grandma George granny granny grunts have the painters in have one's moons have the rag on high tide holy week illness in the red tent

Antonyms

bless

Derived words

a blessing and a curse Assad curse Assad must go curse blurse Celtic curse commentator's curse Corsican curse countercurse curseful cursefully Curselax curseless curselike curse of Cain curse of dimensionality curse of Scotland curse of the ninth curse tablet curse word curseworthy encurse generational curse not worth a curse not worth a tinker's curse Ondine's curse Paterson's curse Patterson's curse precurse resource curse tinker's curse Undine's curse winner's curse Zelenskyy curse accurse becurse better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness cursable cursee curse it curse like a pagan curse like a sailor curse like a trooper curse out curser forcurse outcurse uncurse
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