word-vault
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A lightweight JavaScript package for English word definitions and collections.
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{
"term": "curve",
"partOfSpeech": "noun",
"ox3000": true,
"cefr": "b2",
"definitions": [
{
"senseNumber": 1,
"definition": "a line or surface that bends gradually; a smooth bend",
"sensetop": "curve of something",
"cefr": "b2",
"ox3000": true,
"examples": [
{
"text": "The pattern was made up of straight lines and curves."
},
{
"text": "He admired the delicate curve of her ear.",
"contextForm": "curve of something"
},
{
"text": "The seats were arranged to form a curve."
},
{
"text": "the curve of his neck"
},
{
"text": "the natural curve of your spine"
}
],
"topics": ["Colours and Shapes"],
"collocations": {
"adjective": ["steep", "bell", "normal"],
"verb + curve": ["plot"],
"curve + verb": ["flatten out", "indicate something", "show something"],
"phrases": ["grade on a curve"]
}
},
{
"senseNumber": 2,
"definition": "a place where a road bends or turns",
"sensetop": "curve in somethingon a curve",
"labels": "(North American English)",
"cefr": "b2",
"ox3000": true,
"examples": [
{
"text": "a curve in the road",
"contextForm": "curve in something"
},
{
"text": "The driver lost control on a curve and the vehicle hit a tree.",
"contextForm": "on a curve"
},
{
"text": "He slowed down to negotiate the curve."
},
{
"text": "Slow down at the curves."
},
{
"text": "The car vanished around a curve."
},
{
"text": "The road follows the coast in a wide curve."
},
{
"text": "The road went around in a tight curve."
}
],
"synonyms": "bend",
"topics": ["Transport by car or lorry"]
},
{
"senseNumber": 3,
"definition": "a line on a graph that shows how one quantity varies compared with another",
"labels": "(specialist)",
"examples": [
{
"text": "The program automatically plots the curve on a graph."
},
{
"text": "This figure shows the population curve for the last hundred years."
},
{
"text": "a demand/yield/growth/supply curve"
},
{
"text": "the unemployment-income curve *(= showing the relationship between the number of unemployed people and national income)*"
}
],
"topics": ["Maths and measurement"]
},
{
"senseNumber": 4,
"definition": "a ball that moves in a curve when it is thrown to the batter",
"cefr": "c2",
"examples": [],
"topics": ["Sports: ball and racket sports"]
},
{
"senseNumber": 5,
"definition": "something that is unexpected and difficult to deal with",
"labels": "(North American English, informal)",
"examples": []
},
{
"senseNumber": 6,
"definition": "curving shapes that form part of a woman's body",
"examples": [
{
"text": "The supermodel showed off her famous curves in a figure-hugging red dress."
},
{
"text": "The evening dress hugged her curves beautifully."
}
]
},
{
"senseNumber": null,
"definition": "in advance of or behind a particular trend",
"labels": "(business)",
"examples": [
{
"text": "Our expert advice will help you stay ahead of the curve."
},
{
"text": "We've fallen behind the curve when it comes to developing new digital products."
}
]
},
{
"senseNumber": null,
"definition": "to manage the rate or quantity of something so that it does not increase too much within a short period of time",
"examples": [
{
"text": "These measures are intended to flatten the curve of new infections in order to reduce the load on hospitals."
}
]
}
],
"pronunciations": {
"uk": [
{
"pronunciation": "/kɜːv/",
"audio": "cu/curve/curve__gb_2.mp3"
}
],
"us": [
{
"pronunciation": "/kɜːrv/",
"audio": "cu/curve/curve__us_1.mp3"
}
]
},
"wordOrigin": "late Middle English: from Latin curvare ‘to bend’, from curvus ‘bent’. The noun dates from the late 17th cent."
}