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curb

Pronunciation: /kəːb/
Translate curb | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of curb

noun

  • 1a check or restraint on something:plans to introduce tougher curbs on insider dealing
  • 2 (also curb bit) a type of bit with a strap or chain attached which passes under a horse’s lower jaw, used as a check.
  • 3North Americanvariant spelling of kerb.
  • 4a swelling on the back of a horse’s hock, caused by spraining a ligament.

verb

[with object]
  • restrain or keep in check:she promised she would curb her temper
  • restrain (a horse) by means of a curb: both men were instinctively curbing their horses

Origin:

late 15th century (denoting a strap fastened to the bit): from Old French courber 'bend, bow', from Latin curvare (see curve)

Do not confuse curb with kerb. Curb means 'control or limit something' (she promised to curb her temper) or 'a thing that controls or limits', whereas kerb means 'the stone edging of a pavement' (the spelling curb in this sense is American).

curb in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of curb in the US English dictionary

Reference to curb in Language Resources

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