curl means "form a curl, curve, or kink". That is the primary sense; the word has 8 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in curl?

curl has 1 syllable: curl. In IPA it is /ˈkɝl/.

What is another word for curl?

Close synonyms include curve, kink, curl up, draw in, coil. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is curl a common word?

curl is banded "Familiar" — widely understood, used when the subject calls for it. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.

curl — meaning, pronunciation and 8 definitions

verb

5 sensesAn action, occurrence or state of being.

1.
form a curl, curve, or kink
“the cigar smoke curled up at the ceiling”
Synonymscurve kink
Broaderchange surface
2.
shape one's body into a curl
“She curled farther down under the covers”
“She fell and drew in”
Synonymscurl up draw in
Broaderbend
3.
wind around something in coils or loops
Synonymscoil loop
Broaderwind
4.
twist or roll into coils or ringlets
“curl my hair, please”
Synonymswave
Broadertwist
Narrowercrimp
5.
play the Scottish game of curling
Broaderplay
sport

noun

3 sensesA person, place, thing, quality or idea.

1.
a round shape formed by a series of concentric circles (as formed by leaves or flower petals)
Synonymscoil whorl roll curlicue ringlet gyre scroll
Broaderround shape
Narrowercorolla calyx verticil
2.
American chemist who with Richard Smalley and Harold Kroto discovered fullerenes and opened a new branch of chemistry (born in 1933)
SynonymsRobert Curl Robert F. Curl Robert Floyd Curl Jr.
Broaderchemist
3.
a strand or cluster of hair
Synonymslock ringlet whorl
Broaderhair
Narrowersausage curl forelock crimp dreadlock
Part ofhairdo

Other forms of curl

plural: curls·
past tense: curled·
present participle: curling·

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about curl

What does curl mean?: curl means "form a curl, curve, or kink". That is the primary sense; the word has 8 in total, listed in full on this page.
How many syllables are in curl?: curl has 1 syllable: curl. In IPA it is /ˈkɝl/.
What is another word for curl?: Close synonyms include curve, kink, curl up, draw in, coil. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.
Is curl a common word?: curl is banded "Familiar" — widely understood, used when the subject calls for it. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.

Definitions, synonyms and semantic relations for curl come from Princeton University’s WordNet. The pronunciation comes from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. Commonness is measured against a corpus of everyday English. Full sources and licences.

verb

5 sensesAn action, occurrence or state of being.

1.
form a curl, curve, or kink
“the cigar smoke curled up at the ceiling”
Synonymscurve kink
Broaderchange surface
2.
shape one's body into a curl
“She curled farther down under the covers”
“She fell and drew in”
Synonymscurl up draw in
Broaderbend
3.
wind around something in coils or loops
Synonymscoil loop
Broaderwind
4.
twist or roll into coils or ringlets
“curl my hair, please”
Synonymswave
Broadertwist
Narrowercrimp
5.
play the Scottish game of curling
Broaderplay
sport

noun

3 sensesA person, place, thing, quality or idea.

1.
a round shape formed by a series of concentric circles (as formed by leaves or flower petals)
Synonymscoil whorl roll curlicue ringlet gyre scroll
Broaderround shape
Narrowercorolla calyx verticil
2.
American chemist who with Richard Smalley and Harold Kroto discovered fullerenes and opened a new branch of chemistry (born in 1933)
SynonymsRobert Curl Robert F. Curl Robert Floyd Curl Jr.
Broaderchemist
3.
a strand or cluster of hair
Synonymslock ringlet whorl
Broaderhair
Narrowersausage curl forelock crimp dreadlock
Part ofhairdo

Other forms of curl

plural: curls·
past tense: curled·
present participle: curling·

Questions about curl

What does curl mean?: curl means "form a curl, curve, or kink". That is the primary sense; the word has 8 in total, listed in full on this page.
How many syllables are in curl?: curl has 1 syllable: curl. In IPA it is /ˈkɝl/.
What is another word for curl?: Close synonyms include curve, kink, curl up, draw in, coil. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.
Is curl a common word?: curl is banded "Familiar" — widely understood, used when the subject calls for it. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.

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curl

verb

noun

Other forms of curl

Questions about curl

Tools

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Health & fitness

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curl

verb

noun

Other forms of curl

Questions about curl