From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcurecure1 /kjʊə $ kjʊr/ ●●○ noun [countable] 1 MHa medicine or medical treatment that makes an illness go awaycure for There is still no cure for AIDS.2 SOLVE/DEAL WITH A PROBLEMsomething that solves a problem, or improves a bad situation → solutioncure for There is no easy cure for loneliness.3 MHthe act of making someone well again after an illness The new treatment effected a miraculous cure.COLLOCATIONSverbsfind/discover a cureScientists are still hoping to find a cure for the common cold.develop a cureIt will be at least ten years before a cure is developed.seek/search for/look for a cure$3 billion a year is spent searching for a cure for cancer.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + cure an effective cureA few decades ago there was no effective cure for the disease.a miracle cure (=a very effective one that cures a serious disease)People always hope for a miracle cure.phrasesno known cureAt present is there is no known cure for this virus.the search for a cureBillions of pounds have been spent on the search for a cure.prevention is better than cure British English, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure American English (=used to say that it is better to prevent illness than to cure it) THESAURUScure a medicine or medical treatment that makes an illness go awayThe scientists are trying to find a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease.remedy a way to treat a health problem, especially a small problem such as a cold, using plants or other natural methodsRinsing with salt water is a good home remedy for a sore throat.The store sells herbal remedies. antidote a medicine that will stop the effects of a poison or dangerous drugThere is no known antidote to a bite from this snake.
Examples from the Corpus
cure• This is the perfect marriage: a disease and a cure, both geographically specific.• The sooner they find a cure, the better.• I can give you some tablets that will ease the symptoms, but they're not a cure.• The experts believe they know the causes of the crime wave but they cannot agree on a cure.• Hope that a cure will be found for the disease is what keeps his wife going, DelVecchio said.• Prevention is far better than any cure.• Adding a little oil into the mechanism is one of the best cures for a noisy engine.• What's the best cure for a hangover?• Some of his cures were certified by the newly formed Royal Society of Medicine.• As yet there's no known cure for the disease.• Athelstan studied the jars, dismissing them as nothing but mild cures for ague, aches and pains.• It's not a miracle cure, but moisturiser can make your skin less dry.• Miraculous cures have been reported in Lourdes.• The simple cure is to fit a damper.• Different management practices might be the cure for the company's problems.• The cure for the shaking floor is to rebuild the floor, an intimidating task at best.cure for• Scientists still haven't found a cure for the common cold.curecure2 ●●○ verb [transitive] 1 MHto make an illness or medical condition go away Many types of cancer can now be cured. an operation that can cure short-sightedness in 15 minutes2 MHto make someone well again after they have been ill → heal She had some acupuncture treatment which seems to have cured her.cure somebody of something 90% of patients can be cured of the disease.3 SOLVE/DEAL WITH A PROBLEMto solve a problem, or improve a bad situation Attempts to cure unemployment have so far failed.4 → cure somebody of something5 to preserve food, tobacco etc by drying it, hanging it in smoke, or covering it with salt cured hamTHESAURUScure to make someone who has an illness completely well again or to stop a disease making someone ill – used especially about drugs or other treatmentsMany cancer victims can be cured if the disease is detected early enough.heal to cure someone – used especially when someone cures people using special religious powers, rather than using medicine. Also used when saying that a cream or treatment makes a wound betterHe claimed that he could heal the sick.This cream is good for healing minor cuts and bruises.make somebody (feel) better to make someone who is ill well again, especially when they have an illness that is not very seriousThe pills did make me feel better.relieve/ease (also alleviate formal) to reduce someone’s pain or unpleasant feelingsAspirin will help to relieve the symptoms. I can give you something to alleviate the pain. → See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
cure• This alternative to the matrixing arrangement is exactly what I used in curing a large, troubled government procurement organization.• It is possible that in the near future we will be able to cure AIDS.• His patronage came about when people suffering from rabies were cured at his grave.• Most economic ills cannot be cured by a simple infusion of cash.• Beveridge believed that unemployment could be cured by state intervention.• The only thing that can cure grief is time.• Eventually we found a doctor who was able to cure her of her depression.• Oh, how he would have loved to cure her of her loneliness.• Prostate cancer can be cured if it is caught early.• Many cancer victims can be cured if the disease is detected early enough.• This cured it and I had the carbs tuned to perfection.• There is always some magic remedy that will cure it, or some whizz-kid quack with a patent method.• Penicillin or other antibiotics will cure most infections.• If your computer stops working, re-booting might cure the problem.• But it solved the problem of Thérèse's tantrums at night, it cured them in no time.• Doctors won't consider her cured until she has been free of cancer for several years.• Make a kind of grand tour on my own, take the waters and cure what ails me.cure somebody of something• This simple solution cured me of biting my nails.Origin cure1 (1200-1300) Old French Latin cura “care” cure2 (1300-1400) Old French curer, from Latin curare “to take care of, cure”, from cura; → CURE1 