Curly
'kɜːrli
Definitions
Having a shape characterized by curves or spirals; not straight.
'kɜːrli
Having a curved or spiral shape
The little girl has beautiful, curly hair.
💡 Simply: Imagine your hair bouncing with lots of loops and swirls, like a spring! That's curly. Also, think of curly fries!
👶 For kids: If something is curly, it has lots of little swirls and curves, like a snail's shell or a bouncy spring.
More Examples
The ribbon was tied into a curly bow.
He preferred his fries curly instead of straight.
How It's Used
"She described her hair as 'long and curly'."
"The curly leaves of the fern added texture to the forest floor."
Idioms & expressions
curly wurly
A British chocolate bar consisting of a chewy caramel center covered in milk chocolate.
"I bought a Curly Wurly from the shop."
From Middle English curli, from Old English *crull, *cryl ('curled, wavy'), related to Dutch krul ('curl') and German kraus ('crisp, curly').
The term 'curly' has been used to describe hair and other objects with curves or spirals since the Middle Ages.
Memory tip
Think of a spiral staircase or a coiled spring.