curl

1 noun

1 (C) a small mass of hair that hangs in a curving shape: a little boy with beautiful blonde curls

2 (C) something that forms a curved shape: A curl of smoke rose from her cigarette.

3 a curl of your lip/mouth a sideways and upwards movement of your lip or mouth, showing that you disapprove of someone or something

2 verb (I, T)

1 to form a twisted or curved shape or to make something do this: Ivy curled round the trunk of the tree. | curl sth: Maria used to curl her hair each week.

2 (intransitive always + adv/prep transitive, always + adv/prep) to move, forming a twisted or curved shape, or to make something do this

(+ across/along etc): Morning mists curled across the surface of the river. | curl sth around/round/over etc: The baby curled his fingers around my thumb.

3 if you curl your lip, or if your lip curls, you move it upwards and sideways, to show that you disapprove of someone or something: Her lip curled in contempt.

4 make your hair curl spoken if a story, experience etc would make your hair curl it is very surprising, frightening, or shocking: The stories they tell about him would make your hair curl.

-see also: make sb's toes curl toe 1 (5) curl up phrasal verb (I)

1 to lie or sit with your arms and legs bent close to your body: I just wanted to curl up and go to sleep.

2 if something flat curls up, its edges start to become curved and point upwards: The letter was now yellow and beginning to curl up.

3 to move upwards in the form of a curl or curls: Wisps of smoke were already curling up from the fireplace.