curve

[ kurv ]

/ kɜrv /

noun

a continuously bending line, without angles.

the act or extent of curving.

any curved outline, form, thing, or part.

a curved section of a road, path, hallway, etc.

Railroads. a curved section of track: in the U.S. the curve is often expressed as the central angle, measured in degrees, of a curved section of track subtended by a chord 100 feet (30 meters) long (degree of curve).

Also called curve ball, curveball. Baseball.

a pitch delivered with a spin that causes the ball to veer from a normal straight path, away from the side from which it was thrown.
the course of such a pitched ball.

a graphic representation of the variations effected in something by the influence of changing conditions; graph.

Mathematics. a collection of points whose coordinates are continuous functions of a single independent variable.

a misleading or deceptive trick; cheat; deception.

Education. a grading system based on the scale of performance of a group, so that those performing better, regardless of their actual knowledge of the subject, receive high grades: The new English professor marks on a curve. Compare absolute(def 10).

a curved guide used in drafting.

verb (used with object), curved, curv·ing.

to bend in a curve; cause to take the course of a curve.

to grade on a curve.

Baseball. to pitch a curve to.

verb (used without object), curved, curv·ing.

to bend in a curve; take the course of a curve.

adjective

having the shape of a curve; curved.

Idioms for curve

ahead of/behindthe curve, at the forefront of (or lagging behind) recent developments, trends, etc.

throw (someone) a curve,

to take (someone) by surprise, especially in a negative way.
to mislead or deceive.

Origin of curve

1565–75; (< Middle French) < Latin curvus crooked, bent, curved

OTHER WORDS FROM curve

curv·ed·ly

[kur-vid-lee] /ˈkɜr vɪd li/, adverb curv·ed·ness, noun curve·less, adjective un·curved, adjective

un·curv·ing, adjective un·der·curve, noun un·der·curve, verb (used without object), un·der·curved, un·der·curv·ing. well-curved, adjective

Words nearby curve

curvature aberration, curvature hyperopia, curvature myopia, curvature of field, curvature of space, curve, curve ball, curve fitting, curve of occlusion, curvet, curvette

Example sentences from the Web for curving

The Spanish countryside, full of stone ruins and curving green hills, is a perfect hiking spot.

The Spanish Fraggle Rock: Setenil de las Bodegas Is an Andalucian Town Built Under a Rock |Nina Strochlic |January 2, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
I followed him down a curving path, and at a turn he gave his head a jerk over his right shoulder.

Brownsmith's Boy |George Manville Fenn
Leslie saw her, and swung round the wheels on the sharp, curving hill-side; looking only to see that he should miss her.

The White Peacock |D. H. (David Herbert) Lawrence
Now I seem confronted by great orange mountains with curving ledges cut into their sides.

Micro-Man |Forrest James Ackerman

The elbows drop down until they almost touch the knees, which is partly accomplished by curving the back.

Taxidermy and Zoological Collecting |William T. Hornaday
Midway, and well to the north, where a curving course indicated an arroyo he marked “El Desierto.”

Jessica Trent: Her Life on a Ranch |Evelyn Raymond

British Dictionary definitions for curving

curve

/ (kɜːv) /

noun

a continuously bending line that has no straight parts

something that curves or is curved, such as a bend in a road or the contour of a woman's body

the act or extent of curving; curvature

maths

a system of points whose coordinates satisfy a given equation; a locus of points
the graph of a function with one independent variable

a line representing data, esp statistical data, on a graph an unemployment curve

ahead of the curve ahead of the times; ahead of schedule

behind the curve behind the times; behind schedule

short for French curve

verb

to take or cause to take the shape or path of a curve; bend

Other words from curve

Related adjective: sinuous

Derived forms of curve

curvedly (ˈkɜːvɪdlɪ), adverb curvedness, noun curvy, adjective

Word Origin for curve

C15: from Latin curvāre to bend, from curvus crooked

Medical definitions for curving

curve

[ kûrv ]

n.

A line or surface that deviates from straightness in a smooth, continuous fashion.

Something characterized by such a line or surface, especially a rounded line or contour of the human body.

A curved line representing variations in data on a graph.

v.

To move in or take the shape of a curve.

Scientific definitions for curving

curve

[ kûrv ]

A line or surface that bends in a smooth, continuous way without sharp angles.

The graph of a function on a coordinate plane. In this technical sense, straight lines, circles, and waves are all curves.

Idioms and Phrases with curving

curve

see throw a curve.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

curve

noun

verb (used with object), curved, curv·ing.

verb (used without object), curved, curv·ing.

adjective

Idioms for curve

Origin of curve

OTHER WORDS FROM curve

Words nearby curve

Example sentences from the Web for curving

British Dictionary definitions for curving

noun

verb

Other words from curve

Derived forms of curve

Word Origin for curve

Medical definitions for curving

n.

v.

Scientific definitions for curving

Idioms and Phrases with curving

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

curve

noun

verb (used with object), curved, curv·ing.

verb (used without object), curved, curv·ing.

adjective

Idioms for curve

Origin of curve

OTHER WORDS FROM curve

Words nearby curve

Words related to curving

Example sentences from the Web for curving

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for curving

noun

verb

Other words from curve

Derived forms of curve

Word Origin for curve

Medical definitions for curving

n.

v.

Scientific definitions for curving

Idioms and Phrases with curving

British Dictionary definitions for curving