What does "curb" mean?
A concrete margin along the edge of a road; a kerb (UK, Australia, New Zealand).
Curb
/kɝb/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A concrete margin along the edge of a road; a kerb (UK, Australia, New Zealand).
- Grammar: curb is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: check, check, contain, curtail.
- Useful contrasts: animalistic drive, allow, center.
- Usage evidence: The committee called on all nations to work side-by-side to curb air pollution.
How to use "curb"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "curb" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "curb" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "curb" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "curb" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "curb" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "check" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "curb", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A concrete margin along the edge of a road; a kerb (UK, Australia, New Zealand). US
- 2 the act of restraining power or action or limiting excess wordnet
- 3 A raised margin along the edge of something, such as a well or the eye of a dome, as a strengthening. US
- 4 an edge between a sidewalk and a roadway consisting of a line of curbstones (usually forming part of a gutter) wordnet
- 5 Something that checks or restrains; a restraint. US, figuratively
"Even by theſe Men, Religion, that ſhould be / The curb, is made the ſpur to tyranny: / They with their double key of conſcience bind / The Subjects ſouls, and leave Kings unconfin'd; […]"
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 a horse's bit with an attached chain or strap to check the horse wordnet
- 7 A riding or driving bit for a horse that has rein action which amplifies the pressure in the mouth by leverage advantage placing pressure on the poll via the crown piece of the bridle and chin groove via a curb chain. US
"He that before ran in the pastures wild / Felt the stiff curb controul his angry jaws."
- 8 A sidewalk, covered or partially enclosed, bordering the airport terminal road system with adjacent paved areas to permit vehicles to off-load or load passengers. Canada, US
- 9 A swelling on the back part of the hind leg of a horse, just behind the lowest part of the hock joint, generally causing lameness. US
Verb
- 1 To check, restrain or control. US, transitive
"Curb your dog"
- 2 place restrictions on wordnet
- 3 To rein in. US, transitive
- 4 keep to the curb wordnet
- 5 To furnish with a curb, as a well; to restrain by a curb, as a bank of earth. US, transitive
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 lessen the intensity of; temper; hold in restraint; hold or keep within limits wordnet
- 7 Ellipsis of curb stomp. US, abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, slang, transitive
- 8 To bring to a stop beside a curb. US, transitive
"As had become her habit, Jane rove past her destination and curbed the car on a side street a block and a half away."
- 9 To damage vehicle wheels or tires by running into or over a pavement curb. US, transitive
- 10 To bend or curve. US, transitive
"[B]y crooked and curbed lines, wee looke within the water; for our eie ſight doth bend and turne againe perforce, by reason that the matter of the water is more thicke; which is the cauſe, that we ſee the mariners oare in the ſea a farre off, as it were crooked."
- 11 To crouch; to cringe. US, intransitive
"Virtue itself of vice must pardon beg, / Yea, curb and woo for leave to do him good."
Example
"The committee called on all nations to work side-by-side to curb air pollution."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "curb"?
Common synonyms include: check, check, contain, curtail, kerb, restrict.
How do you use "curb" in a sentence?
The committee called on all nations to work side-by-side to curb air pollution.
How do you pronounce "curb"?
Pronounced /kɝb/.
Etymology
From Middle French courbe (“curve, curved object”), from Latin curvus (“bent, crooked, curved”). Doublet of curve.