Meaning & use
curl up
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Meanings
verbphrasal verb
To settle into a comfortable position with your legs pulled in and your body curved.
Grammar: No object, and a place usually follows: curl up on the sofa.
Patterns
- curl up on something
- curl up with something
- curl up in something
She curled up on the sofa with a blanket.
The cat curled up in the warm patch of sun.
He loves to curl up with a good book on rainy days.
verbphrasal verb
To bend into a tight shape from fear, pain or protection.
Grammar: No object, often with a reason: curl up in pain.
Patterns
- curl up in pain
- curl up in fear
The hedgehog curled up when it heard the dog.
He curled up in pain after the fall.
The child curled up under the table during the thunder.
verbphrasal verb
To bend or roll at the edges, as paper, leaves or hair do when dry or heated.
Grammar: The subject is the thing curling: the corners curl up.
Patterns
- something curls up at the edges
The edges of the old photograph had begun to curl up.
Leaves curl up in dry weather.
The pizza crust curled up in the oven.
Word forms
| third person singular | curls up |
|---|---|
| past tense | curled up |
| past participle | curled up |
| -ing form | curling up |
Common combinations
- curl up on the sofa
- I want to curl up on the sofa and watch a film.
- curl up with a book
- On Sundays she curls up with a good book.
- curl up in bed
- He curled up in bed with the dog.
- curl up into a ball
- The kitten curled up into a ball.
- curl up and die
- I wanted to curl up and die after the speech.
Synonyms and how they differ
- snuggle
- Snuggle suggests nestling close to someone or something warm, which curl up does not always require.
- nestle
- Nestle stresses settling in a snug, sheltered spot, often with a gentle feel.
- huddle
- Huddle describes people or animals pressing together, usually for warmth or fear.
- cuddle
- Cuddle requires holding another person or animal, whereas curl up can be solitary.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: curl up or curl up (British)? curl up or curl?
curl up vs curl up (British)
Curl up is used in both British and American English, and the meaning is the same.
curl up vs curl
Curl alone can be transitive, as in curl your hair, while curl up usually has no object.
Practice
On a cold evening, I like to ___ with a blanket and a book.
Choose one answer.
Curl up is the phrasal verb for settling into a cozy position. The other particles are not used with this meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “curl up”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.