Online dictionaryOnline dictionary
Synonyms, antonyms, pronunciation

  Home 		English Dictionary      examples: 'day', 'get rid of', 'New York Bay'




Curling   /kˈərlɪŋ/   Listen
noun
Curling  n.  
1.
The act or state of that which curls; as, the curling of smoke when it rises; the curling of a ringlet; also, the act or process of one who curls something, as hair, or the brim of hats.
2.
A scottish game in which heavy weights of stone or iron are propelled by hand over the ice towards a mark. "Curling... is an amusement of the winter, and played on the ice, by sliding from one mark to another great stones of 40 to 70 pounds weight, of a hemispherical form, with an iron or wooden handle at top. The object of the player is to lay his stone as near to the mark as possible, to guard that of his partner, which has been well laid before, or to strike off that of his antagonist."
Curling irons, Curling tong, an instrument for curling the hair; commonly heated when used. Called also curler 4.


verb
Curl  v. t.  (past & past part. curled; pres. part. curling)  
1.
To twist or form into ringlets; to crisp, as the hair. "But curl their locks with bodkins and with braid."
2.
To twist or make onto coils, as a serpent's body. "Of his tortuous train, Curled many a wanton wreath in sight of Eve."
3.
To deck with, or as with, curls; to ornament. "Thicker than the snaky locks That curledMegaera." "Curling with metaphors a plain intention."
4.
To raise in waves or undulations; to ripple. "Seas would be pools without the brushing air To curl the waves."
5.
(Hat Making) To shape (the brim) into a curve.


Curl  v. i.  
1.
To contract or bend into curls or ringlets, as hair; to grow in curls or spirals, as a vine; to be crinkled or contorted; to have a curly appearance; as, leaves lie curled on the ground. "Thou seest it (hair) will not curl by nature."
2.
To move in curves, spirals, or undulations; to contract in curving outlines; to bend in a curved form; to make a curl or curls. "Cirling billows." "Then round her slender waist he curled." "Curling smokes from village tops are seen." "Gayly curl the waves before each dashing prow." "He smiled a king of sickly smile, and curled up on the floor."
3.
To play at the game called curling. (Scot.)





Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48


Advanced search
     Find words:
Starting with
Ending with
Containing
Matching a pattern  

Synonyms
Antonyms
Quotes
Words linked to  

only single words


Share |
Add this dictionary
to your browser search bar




"Curling" Quotes from Famous Books



... seemed to be an officer in uniform, was standing on his hind legs at the right of the entrance. His waist was very slim, his wings were very rich, and he was curling and uncurling his proboscis languidly. Sara slid off the Gahoppigas and approached as near as ...
— The Garden of the Plynck • Karle Wilson Baker
... Austrian flag on the tower of the hotel, languidly curling and uncurling in the bland evening air, as it had over a thousand years of stupid and selfish monarchy, while all the generous republics of the Middle Ages had perished, and the commonwealths of later times ...
— Henry James, Jr. • William Dean Howells
... companions, found means to effect his object. The firing had ceased, and the besieged were congratulating themselves on success, when a sudden light glared across the fields. A sheet of flame soon came curling over the crest of a wheat-stack, and quickly wrapped the inflammable material in its fierce torrent. Against this destruction there remained no remedy. The barns and inclosures which, so lately, had been lying in the darkness of the hour, were instantly illuminated, and life would have been ...
— The Wept of Wish-Ton-Wish • James Fenimore Cooper
... clear; jagged like a saw. Divergent strings, marvellously interlaced on the water, streamed in with the wind, broadened into ribands fluttering over green-grey patches. The whole sea trembled, as if life were being breathed into it. White spots, curling wavelets, dotted it; then broke abroad as white-horses in full mad landward career. The whistle in the grass rose louder and shriller; the boughs bent further and let fly their autumn foliage horizontally into the wind; the gulls screeched wildly and more wildly; the chafing ...
— A Poor Man's House • Stephen Sydney Reynolds
... becomes boring. On the prairie there are only two things left for him to do—drink or gamble. The first is impossible. It is low, degrading. Besides it only appeals to certain senses, and does not give one that 'hair-curling' thrill which makes life tolerable. Consequently the wily pasteboard is brought forth—and ...
— The Story of the Foss River Ranch • Ridgwell Cullum


More quotes...


Copyright © 2025 Dictionary One.com