I.
noun
1 line or surface that bends
ADJECTIVE
▪ gentle , graceful , slight , smooth , soft
▪ sharp , tight
▪ sweeping , wide
▪ sensual , voluptuous
▪
the voluptuous ~ of her hips
▪ feminine ~s , womanly ~s
▪ downward , upward
▪ natural
▪
the natural ~ of your spine
VERB + CURVE
▪ form , make
▪
The seats were arranged to form a ~.
PREPOSITION
▪ in a ~
▪
The road follows the coast in a wide ~.
▪ ~ of
▪
the ~ of his neck
PHRASES
▪ hug sb's ~s
▪
The evening dress hugged her ~s beautifully.
2 ( AmE ) bend in the road
ADJECTIVE
▪ sharp , tight
▪
The road went around in a tight ~.
VERB + CURVE
▪ come around , hug , negotiate , round
▪
He slowed down to negotiate the ~.
PREPOSITION
▪ around a/the ~
▪
The car vanished around a ~.
▪ at a/the ~
▪
Slow down at the ~s.
▪ into a/the ~
▪
A good motorcyclist leans into the ~s.
▪ ~ in
▪
a ~ in the road
3 on a graph
ADJECTIVE
▪ steep
▪ bell
▪ normal , standard
▪ growth
▪ grading (= of students' grades) ( AmE )
▪ learning (= the rate at which you learn sth new)
▪
Start-up businesses often have a steep learning ~.
VERB + CURVE
▪ plot
CURVE + VERB
▪ flatten out
▪ indicate sth , show sth
PHRASES
▪ grade on a ~ (= to adjust scores so that they fit a normal curve) ( AmE )
II.
verb
ADVERB
▪ gently , slightly
▪
a gently curving stream
▪ gracefully
▪ strongly
▪ sharply
▪ away , down , up
▪
The path ~d down to the bay.
PREPOSITION
▪ around , round ( esp. BrE ), towards/toward , etc.
▪
The road ~d away around the back of the hill.
PHRASES
▪ ~ into a smile
▪
His mouth ~d into a smile.
Curve is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑ lip , ↑ mouth , ↑ road , ↑ street
Curve is used with these nouns as the object: ↑ spine