curl up

verb

to curl, make curly, shape into curls

“Rollers are a good way to curl up your hair.”

Similar
curldraw inattractpullpull in
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Meanings

verbcurl up (third-person singular simple present curls up, present participle curling up, simple past and past participle curled up)

present singular third person curls up · participle present curling up · participle past curled up · past curled up

  1. transitiveto curl, make curly, shape into curls

    Rollers are a good way to curl up your hair.

  2. intransitiveto become curly
  3. transitiveto coil or shrivel, make into a coil
  4. intransitiveto become coiled or shriveled
  5. intransitiveto shape one's body into a somewhat ball-like shape, with one's legs tucked into the abdomen, especially for cosiness or for protection.

    curl up with a good book

    1 more example

    He smiled a kind of sickly smile, and curled up on the floor.

    1903, Bret Harte, The Society upon the Stanislaus

Synonyms & antonyms

verbshape one's body into a curl

Similar
curldraw inattractpullpull in
Broader
bendflex
Also see
attractcurldrawdraw inpullpull in

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Catalan arraulir-se, arraulir-se
  • arraulir-seto become coiled or shrivelled
  • arraulir-seto tuck one’s legs up against the abdomen and wrap arms around the raised knees
Finnish kihartaa, kihartua
  • kihartaaof hair: to shape into curls
  • kihartuato become curly
  • vyyhtiäto make into a coil
  • käpertyäto tuck one’s legs up against the abdomen and wrap arms around the raised knees
French se recroqueviller, se pelotonner
  • se recroquevillerto become coiled or shrivelled
  • se pelotonnerto tuck one’s legs up against the abdomen and wrap arms around the raised knees
  • se recroquevillerto tuck one’s legs up against the abdomen and wrap arms around the raised knees
  • se blottirto tuck one’s legs up against the abdomen and wrap arms around the raised knees
German sich zusammenrollen
  • sich zusammenrollento tuck one’s legs up against the abdomen and wrap arms around the raised knees
Indonesian meringkuk
  • meringkukto tuck one’s legs up against the abdomen and wrap arms around the raised knees
Irish déan ceirtlín díot féin
  • déan ceirtlín díot féinto tuck one’s legs up against the abdomen and wrap arms around the raised knees
Italian rannicchiarsi, arricciarsi
  • rannicchiarsito tuck one’s legs up against the abdomen and wrap arms around the raised knees
  • arricciarsito tuck one’s legs up against the abdomen and wrap arms around the raised knees
  • raggomitolarsito tuck one’s legs up against the abdomen and wrap arms around the raised knees
Māori hūmene, koropeke
  • hūmeneto become coiled or shrivelled
  • koropeketo tuck one’s legs up against the abdomen and wrap arms around the raised knees
Polish zwinąć się w kłębek, zwinąć się w kłębek
  • zwinąć się w kłębekto become coiled or shrivelled
  • zwinąć się w kłębekto tuck one’s legs up against the abdomen and wrap arms around the raised knees
Swedish krypa ihop, kura ihop sig
  • krypa ihopto tuck one’s legs up against the abdomen and wrap arms around the raised knees
  • kura ihop sigto tuck one’s legs up against the abdomen and wrap arms around the raised knees
Cite this entry
APA

curl up. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/curl%20up

MLA

“curl up.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/curl%20up. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “curl up,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/curl%20up.

Source: curl up on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.