cur

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: a mongrel or inferior dog
b
: a medium-sized hunting and working dog with a short coat that was developed in the southern U.S. and is sometimes considered to comprise one or more breeds
2
: a surly or cowardly fellow

cur

2 of 2

abbreviation

1
currency
2
current

Examples of cur in a Sentence

Noun denounced as curs those police officers who deserted their posts during the hurricane and its aftermath
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
His arch nemesis, Richard Nixon, had fled the White House like a diseased cur after the Watergate scandal and in his disappearance from the political scene, Thompson lost perhaps his greatest muse. Rory Feehan, SPIN, 9 Nov. 2023 On a blustery Saturday afternoon in April, 18 of 25 groups there had dogs off a leash, including this reporter with her black mouth cur mix, Archer. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Aug. 2023 In 1957, four mountain music players from Georgia, Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee discovered a shared love for the old mountain curs, and organized a breeding effort that saved the original mountain cur from extinction. Kyle Wintersteen, Field & Stream, 30 Jan. 2023 Behind the bar, the enormous portrait of the family’s late dog Rio — a black mouth cur for whom the restaurant is named — watches over the room. Sarah Blaskovich, Dallas News, 21 Dec. 2020 Pop it into first gear, low range, and this cur will claw halfway up the Washington Monument with no driver at the wheel. John Phillips, Car and Driver, 24 Mar. 2020 She black mouth cur, a Southern herding dog, Southern hunting dog. John Shea, SFChronicle.com, 2 Oct. 2019 From Kim Kardashian’s cur-our silk tank dress to Kendall’s black patent strapless look, Khloé’s embellished silver pants and crop top and Jordyn Woods’ gold halter mini, here are all the can’t miss looks of the night. Avery Matera, Teen Vogue, 11 Aug. 2018 That’s right, Anderson’s most political work to date is a funny-animal movie that stars Bryan Cranston as a mangy cur. Ty Burr, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Mar. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cur.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, short for curdogge, from Middle English *curren to growl (perhaps from Old Norse kurra to grumble) + Middle English dogge dog

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of cur was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near cur

Cite this Entry

“Cur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cur. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

cur

noun
ˈkər
1
: a mongrel dog
2

Medical Definition

cur

abbreviation
1
curative
2
current

More from Merriam-Webster on cur

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!