1
: a prayer or invocation for harm or injury to come upon one : imprecation
People believe that there is a curse on the house.
2
: a profane or obscene oath or word
In an antechamber, his lieutenants suddenly heard the shattering of glass and angry curses.—
Sam Moses
Sam Moses3
: something that is cursed or accursed
"I … will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth."—Jeremiah 26:6 (King James Version)
Jeremiah 26:6 (King James Version)4
: evil or misfortune that comes as if in response to imprecation or as retribution
… intolerance is the greatest curse of every land …—Kenneth Roberts
Kenneth Roberts5
: a cause of great harm or misfortune : torment
His fame turned out to be a curse, not a blessing.
6
: menstruation
—used with the
cursed; cursing
1
: to use profanely insolent language against : blaspheme
cursing his god
2
a
: to call upon divine or supernatural power to send injury upon
He was cursed and fears he will die.
b
: to execrate in fervent and often profane terms
cursed by future generations unless we act now
3
: to bring great evil upon : afflict
a land cursed with famine
: to utter imprecations : swear
cursing loudly
Synonyms
Examples of curse in a Sentence
Noun
I heard him utter a curse before the microphone was shut off.
The witch pronounced a curse in some strange language.
People believe that someone put a curse on the house.
His fame turned out to be a curse, not a blessing.
Verb
He cursed himself for being so careless.
She cursed her bad luck.
In the book the evil witch curses the villagers.
Recent Examples on the Web
Vegard Skirbekk, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2024
Just one episode after breaking her family’s curse, Alice lies dead on the ground, and the witches—and especially Teen—are not happy.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024
Melvin Backman, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024
Someone had carved the name of a man—one of the house’s former owners—upside down, a superstitious practice of cursing someone by defacing their name.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for curse 
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Noun
Regardless of whether one sees it as a triumph or a curse, there is no reason to expect that low fertility will be reversed in any major way.
—Vegard Skirbekk, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2024
Just one episode after breaking her family’s curse, Alice lies dead on the ground, and the witches—and especially Teen—are not happy.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024
Verb
Formula 1 drivers swear they should be allowed to curse.
—Melvin Backman, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024
Someone had carved the name of a man—one of the house’s former owners—upside down, a superstitious practice of cursing someone by defacing their name.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for curse
Articles Related to curse
Dictionary Entries Near curse
Cite this Entry
“Curse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curse. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
curse
1 of 2 noun1
: a calling for harm or injury to come to someone
2
: a word or an expression used in cursing or swearing
3
: evil or misfortune that comes as if in answer to a curse
4
: a cause of great harm or evil
curse
2 of 2 verb
cursed; cursing
1
: to call upon divine power to send harm or evil upon
2
3
: to bring unhappiness or evil upon : afflict
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