Meaning & use
curse
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Meanings
nouncountable
Words or a magic spell meant to bring bad luck or harm to someone.
Grammar: Often put on or lifted from someone.
Patterns
- a curse on someone
- lift a curse
The villagers believed a curse lay on the old house.
The witch put a curse on the prince.
They hoped to lift the curse.
nouncountableinformal
A rude or angry word said in frustration.
Grammar: Also called a swear word.
Patterns
- mutter a curse
He muttered a curse when the printer jammed.
A curse escaped her lips.
nounsingularfigurative
Something that causes ongoing trouble or suffering.
Grammar: Often 'the curse of something'.
Patterns
- the curse of something
Traffic is the curse of modern cities.
Poor sleep has been the curse of his career.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To use rude or angry words, or to wish evil on someone.
Grammar: Takes at: cursed at the driver.
Patterns
- curse at someone
- curse someone with something
He cursed when he dropped the plate.
The old woman cursed the thief.
She cursed her bad luck.
Word forms
| plural | curses |
|---|---|
| third person singular | curses |
| past tense | cursed |
| past participle | cursed |
| -ing form | cursing |
Common combinations
- lift a curse
- Only the magician could lift the curse.
- put a curse on
- She put a curse on his crops.
- curse under your breath
- He cursed under his breath.
- family curse
- The family curse seemed real.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hex
- Hex is a more informal word for a magic spell of bad luck.
- swear
- Swear is the usual word for using rude words, while curse can also mean wishing harm.
- jinx
- Jinx is lighter and means something bringing bad luck, often as a joke.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: curse or course?
curse vs course
Course sounds the same in some accents but means a path or class, not an evil spell.
Practice
The explorers believed that a ___ lay on the tomb and would bring bad luck to anyone who opened it.
Choose one answer.
A curse brings misfortune. A blessing is the opposite, and course and cure are different words.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “curse”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.