curve

curve
{{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}}
noun
1 line or surface that bends
ADJECTIVE
gentle, graceful, slight, smooth, soft
sharp, tight
sweeping, wide
sensual, voluptuous

the voluptuous curve of her hips

feminine curves, womanly curves
downward, upward
natural

the natural curve of your spine

VERB + CURVE
form, make

The seats were arranged to form a curve.

PREPOSITION
in a curve

The road follows the coast in a wide curve.

curve of

the curve of his neck

PHRASES
hug sb's curves

The evening dress hugged her curves beautifully.

2 (AmE) bend in the road
ADJECTIVE
sharp, tight

The road went around in a tight curve.

VERB + CURVE
come around, hug, negotiate, round

He slowed down to negotiate the curve.

PREPOSITION
around a/the curve

The car vanished around a curve.

at a/the curve

Slow down at the curves.

into a/the curve

A good motorcyclist leans into the curves.

curve in

a curve in the road

3 on a graph
ADJECTIVE
steep
bell
normal, standard
growth
grading (= of students' grades) (AmE)
learning (= the rate at which you learn sth new)

Start-up businesses often have a steep learning curve.

VERB + CURVE
plot
CURVE + VERB
flatten out
indicate sth, show sth
PHRASES
grade on a curve (= to adjust scores so that they fit a normal curve) (AmE)
{{Roman}}II.{{/Roman}}
verb
ADVERB
gently, slightly

a gently curving stream

gracefully
strongly
sharply
away, down, up

The path curved down to the bay.

PREPOSITION
around, round (esp. BrE), towards/toward, etc.

The road curved away around the back of the hill.

PHRASES
curve into a smile

His mouth curved into a smile.

Curve is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑lip, ↑mouth, ↑road, ↑street
Curve is used with these nouns as the object: ↑spine

Collocations dictionary. 2013.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • curve — [kɜːv ǁ kɜːrv] noun [countable] a diagram showing how a price or an amount changes in relation to another price, amount etc: • The price curve is rising as the bond gets closer to maturity. US /kɜːv/ noun [C] ► GRAPHS & CHARTS a line on a graph… …   Financial and business terms

  • Curve — Curve, n. [See {Curve}, a., {Cirb}.] 1. A bending without angles; that which is bent; a flexure; as, a curve in a railway or canal. [1913 Webster] 2. (Geom.) A line described according to some low, and having no finite portion of it a straight… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • curve — vb Curve, bend, twist are comparable when they mean to swerve or cause to swerve or deviate from a straight line or a normal direction or course. Curve is the word of widest application, and it may describe any deviation or swerving from the… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • curve — [kʉrv] adj. [L curvus, bent: see CROWN] Archaic curved n. 1. a line having no straight part; bend having no angular part 2. a thing or part having the shape of a curve 3. the act of curving, or the extent of this 4. [pl.] the pronounced curving… …   English World dictionary

  • curve — ⇒CURVE, adj. Rare. Courbe. J appris les secrets Des pertuisés roseaux et de la curve flûte (MORÉAS, Sylves, 1896, p. 161). Rem. Canada 1930, BÉL. 1957, DUL. 1968 attestent curve, subst. fém., région. (Canada) au sens de « courbe, tournant,… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Curve — Curve, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Curved} (k[^u]rvd); p. pr. & vb. n. {Curving}.] [L. curvare., fr. curvus. See {Curve}, a., {Curb}.] To bend; to crook; as, to curve a line; to curve a pipe; to cause to swerve from a straight course; as, to curve a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Curve — (k[^u]rv), a. [L. curvus bent, curved. See {Cirb}.] Bent without angles; crooked; curved; as, a curve line; a curve surface. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Curve — (englisch für „Kurve; Rundung“) bezeichnet: eine britische Rock /Electronica Band, siehe Curve (Band) eine US amerikanische Lesbenzeitschrift, siehe Curve (Zeitschrift) Diese Seite ist eine Begriffsklärung …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • curve — curve; curve·some; in·curve; …   English syllables

  • Curve — Curve, v. i. To bend or turn gradually from a given direction; as, the road curves to the right. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • curve — [n] arched, rounded line or object ambit, arc, arch, bend, bight, bow, camber, catenary, chord, circle, circuit, circumference, compass, concavity, contour, crook, curlicue, curvation, curvature, ellipse, festoon, flexure, hairpin, half moon,… …   New thesaurus

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