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curse

When you curse, you say words you wouldn't want your mother or your priest to hear you saying. A curse can also be wishing something awful on someone, like the witch who puts a curse on Sleeping Beauty.

When you hear "maledizione!" in an Italian opera, somebody's having a curse placed on them. The Italian word tells you just what a curse is — it's a "bad saying" — a really bad saying. Like "May you and all your family have nothing but Brussels sprouts to eat forever and ever!" That would be a curse. As a verb, the act of cursing will lead to getting your mouth washed out with soap.

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: curse

1
 nv
an appeal to some supernatural power to inflict evil on someone or some group
wish harm upon; invoke evil upon
2
 nv
profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
utter obscenities or profanities
3
 v
exclude from a church or a religious community
FULL DEFINITIONS OF: curse
1

n an appeal to some supernatural power to inflict evil on someone or some group

Synonyms:
condemnation, execration
Types:
anathema
a formal ecclesiastical curse accompanied by excommunication
imprecation, malediction
the act of calling down a curse that invokes evil (and usually serves as an insult)
Type of:
denouncement, denunciation
a public act of denouncing

n an evil spell

“a witch put a curse on his whole family”
Synonyms:
hex, jinx, whammy
Type of:
charm, magic spell, magical spell, spell
a verbal formula believed to have magical force

n a severe affliction

Synonyms:
torment
Type of:
affliction
a cause of great suffering and distress

n something causing misery or death

Synonyms:
bane, nemesis, scourge
Type of:
affliction
a cause of great suffering and distress

v wish harm upon; invoke evil upon

“The bad witch cursed the child”
Synonyms:
anathemise, anathemize, bedamn, beshrew, damn, imprecate, maledict
Antonyms:
bless
give a benediction to
Type of:
arouse, bring up, call down, call forth, conjure, conjure up, evoke, invoke, put forward, raise, stir
summon into action or bring into existence, often as if by magic
2

n profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger

Synonyms:
curse word, cuss, expletive, oath, swearing, swearword
Type of:
profanity
vulgar or irreverent speech or action

v utter obscenities or profanities

“The drunken men were cursing loudly in the street”
Synonyms:
blaspheme, cuss, imprecate, swear
blaspheme
speak of in an irreverent or impious manner
Type of:
express, give tongue to, utter, verbalise, verbalize
articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise

v heap obscenities upon

“The taxi driver who felt he didn't get a high enough tip cursed the passenger”
Type of:
abuse, blackguard, clapperclaw, shout
use foul or abusive language towards
3

v exclude from a church or a religious community

Synonyms:
excommunicate, unchurch
excommunicate
oust or exclude from a group or membership by decree
Antonyms:
communicate
administer Communion; in church
commune, communicate
receive Communion, in the Catholic church
show more antonyms...
Type of:
exclude, keep out, shut, shut out
prevent from entering; shut out
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