Meaning & use
kerbs
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“kerbs” is a form of “kerb”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounpluralBritish
The raised stone or concrete edges along the side of a road where it meets the pavement.
Grammar: Plural of kerb: the kerbs were painted yellow.
Patterns
- park along the kerbs
- step off the kerbs
The council painted the kerbs yellow to stop people parking there.
Children were told to stop at the kerbs and look both ways.
Rain washed leaves along the kerbs and into the drains.
Word forms
| singular | kerb |
|---|
Common combinations
- lowered kerbs
- Lowered kerbs help wheelchair users cross the street.
- painted kerbs
- The painted kerbs show where parking is banned.
- mount the kerbs
- Several vans mounted the kerbs to let the bus pass.
- along the kerbs
- Cars were lined up along the kerbs on both sides.
- high kerbs
- The old town has high kerbs that are tricky for pushchairs.
Synonyms and how they differ
- curbs
- Curbs is the American spelling of the same word and is used for the same road edges.
- edges
- Edges is vaguer and can mean the side of anything, whereas kerbs are specifically the raised border of a road.
- sidewalk edges
- This is an American phrase that describes the same place more loosely.
Word family
- kerb noun
- one raised road edge
- kerbside noun
- the area next to a kerb
- kerbstone noun
- one of the blocks that forms a kerb
- kerb crawler noun
- a driver who slowly follows people on the street, often illegal
Commonly confused: kerbs or curbs?
kerbs vs curbs
Curbs is the American spelling for road edges. In British English, curb is the verb meaning to restrain, as in curb spending.
Practice
In British English, the raised edges of a road are called ___.
Choose one answer.
Kerbs are the raised borders at a road's side. Verges are grassy strips beside a road, and curves are bends.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “kerbs”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.