From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcursecurse1 /kɜːs $ kɜːrs/ ●○○ verb 1 [intransitive]SWEAR to swear Gilbert was cursing under his breath.2 [transitive]COMPLAIN to say or think bad things about someone or something because they have made you angry He cursed his bad luck in arriving just after she’d left.curse somebody/something for (doing) something Elsa cursed herself for believing his lies.3 [transitive]ROMMAGIC to ask God or a magical power to harm someone → curse somebody ↔ out→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
curse• He also treated the little gray man poorly and was likewise cursed.• She curses Alan, and she waits.• A drunk started cursing and spitting.• Then Hank came out and drove off, and he cursed him quietly.• Johnny Boyle pushed his way through the crowd gathering about Gallagher, cursing himself for not having arrived sooner.• Auguste found himself caught up in the general excitement and cursed his heavy waterlogged costume.• I sat in my car, cursing the heavy traffic.• People in many cultures believe witch doctors have the power to bless or curse their lives.• No song lasted more than three minutes, and after each the carrot-haired kid cursed us to death.• She hated the thought that he must become a separate, uncomfortable metabolism cursed with effort and choice.• He is cursed with this evaluative frame of mind.curse somebody/something for (doing) something• Silently she cursed herself for being such a damned fool.• I cursed myself for lack of balance.• Johnny Boyle pushed his way through the crowd gathering about Gallagher, cursing himself for not having arrived sooner.• I cursed myself for not having the ship preset for start up.• Some people back there would be cursing us for raising so much dust.• If the adventurers refuse to help, the Ghost will curse them for their callousness and attack.cursecurse2 ●○○ noun [countable] 1 SWEARa swear word or words that you say because you are very angry He muttered a curse under his breath.2 ROMMAGICa word or sentence used to ask God or a magical power to do something bad to someone or something He believed that someone had put a curse on the house.3 PROBLEMsomething that causes trouble, harm etccurse of Noise is one of the curses of modern-day life.4 → the curseExamples from the Corpus
curse• Being a war hero has turned out to be both a blessing and a curse.• Interesting times have been the proverbial blessing and a curse for Sassoon.• He had a curse when it came to machinery.• The lucky boy accomplished the feat, and caught the evil, greedy king in a curse at the same time.• The challenge of the car, which has blessed humanity so much, is to stop that blessing turning into a curse.• And at every blow there was a moan or a curse as it went home.• Mr. Bowis Does my hon. Friend agree that a curse of modern urban living is musical mega-decibels in the night?• They tell of phone numbers one can call for horoscopes, fortunes, curses, cures.• Connors started shouting curses at the umpire who called the ball out.• History suggests the curse of kingship is the need to be wary of your own counsellors.put ... curse on• If you complained, he'd put a curse on you.• He sometimes wondered if Eleanor had put a curse on him.• They've put a curse on me now, for betraying Nerina.• The witch put a curse on the baby princess.Origin curse2 Old English curs 