cure

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cure^¹

/kjɔː/ UK
/kjʊə/ UK
/kjɵː/ British, Southern, Standard
/kjoː/ British, Southern, Standard
/kjʉwə/ British, Southern, Standard
/kjʊɹ/ Canada, US
/kjɝ/ Canada, US
/kjɔɹ/ Canada, US
/kjʉːə/ Australia
/kjʉːɹ/ Northern Ireland, Scotland
/kjuːɹ/ Ireland
/kɜː/ Norfolk

Rhymes with -ʊə(ɹ), -ɔː(ɹ), -ɜː(ɹ)

Where it comes from

From Middle English cure, borrowed from Old French cure (“care, cure, healing, cure of souls”), from Latin cura (“care, medical attendance, cure”). Displaced native Old English hǣlu, but this survived as heal.

noun cures

A method, device or medication that restores good health. When you're well enough off so's you don't have to fret about anything but your heft or your diseases you begin to get queer, I suppose. And the queerer the cure for those ailings the bigger the attraction. A place like the Right Livers' Rest was bound to draw freaks, same as molasses draws flies.
Similar: curative, mithridate, treacle
An act of healing or state of being healed; restoration to health after a disease, or to soundness after injury. Past hope! past cure!
figuratively A solution to a problem. Cold, hunger, prisons, ills without a cure.
A process of preservation, as by smoking.
Cured fish. Well into the twentieth century, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia's Grand Banks fleet stayed with sail power. "The Lunenburg cure," heavily salted on the schooners and then dried on flakes along the rocky sheltered coastline, was traded in the Caribbean.
A process of solidification or gelling.
A process whereby a material is caused to form permanent molecular linkages by exposure to chemicals, heat, pressure or weathering.
obsolete Care, heed, or attention. vicarages of great cure, but small value
Spiritual charge; care of soul; the office of a parish priest or of a curate. This worke devysed is For suche as do amys, And specyally to controule Such as have cure of soule, […] No good priest to offende, But suche dawes to amend, […]
That which is committed to the charge of a parish priest or of a curate.
Similar: curacy

cure^²

/kjɔː/ UK
/kjʊə/ UK
/kjɵː/ British, Southern, Standard
/kjoː/ British, Southern, Standard
/kjʉwə/ British, Southern, Standard
/kjʊɹ/ Canada, US
/kjɝ/ Canada, US
/kjɔɹ/ Canada, US
/kjʉːə/ Australia
/kjʉːɹ/ Northern Ireland, Scotland
/kjuːɹ/ Ireland
/kɜː/ Norfolk

Rhymes with -ʊə(ɹ), -ɔː(ɹ), -ɜː(ɹ)

Where it comes from

From Middle English curen, from Old French curer, from Latin cūrāre. Partially displaced Old English ġehǣlan, whence Modern English heal.

verb cures · curing · cured

transitive To restore to health. Unaided nature cured him.
Similar: heal
transitive To bring (a disease or its bad effects) to an end. Unaided nature cured his ailments.
transitive To cause to be rid of (a defect). Experience will cure him of his naïveté.
transitive To prepare or alter, especially by chemical or physical processing for keeping or use. The smoke and heat cures the meat.
To preserve (food), typically by salting.
intransitive To bring about a cure of any kind.
intransitive To undergo a chemical or physical process for preservation or use. The meat was put in the smokehouse to cure.
intransitive To solidify or gel. The parts were curing in the autoclave.
intransitive, obsolete To become healed. One desperate grief cures with another's languish.
obsolete To pay heed; to care; to give attention.

cure^³

/kjɔː/ UK
/kjʊə/ UK
/kjɵː/ British, Southern, Standard
/kjoː/ British, Southern, Standard
/kjʉwə/ British, Southern, Standard
/kjʊɹ/ Canada, US
/kjɝ/ Canada, US
/kjɔɹ/ Canada, US
/kjʉːə/ Australia
/kjʉːɹ/ Northern Ireland, Scotland
/kjuːɹ/ Ireland
/kɜː/ Norfolk

Rhymes with -ʊə(ɹ), -ɔː(ɹ), -ɜː(ɹ)

Where it comes from

From curiosity.

noun cures

UK, obsolete, slang An eccentric person. The mud was thick — the crossing clean — / A well dressed man, genteel of mien — / Walked through the first (he might be poor), / The sweeper muttered, "He's a Cure."

Cure^⁴

Where it comes from

* As an Irish and Scottish Gaelic surname, reduced from McClure. Also compare McIver.

* As an English surname, from the noun cure.

proper noun Cures

A surname.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: curative, remedy, heal, remedial, rectify, curable, remediate, repair, redress, rehab, mend, recover, recovery, resolve, solve, save

Translations

Every language

noun method, device or medication that restores good health

Español	cura, curación, remedio
한국어	치료 chiryo
日本語	治療 chiryō
中文	治療 /治疗 zhìliáo
हिन्दी	उपचार upcār
Português	cura
Français	traitement
Deutsch	Heilung
Italiano	cura
Ελληνικά	θεραπεία therapeía
Română	tratament, leac
Русский	лече́ние lečénije, лека́рство lekárstvo
العربية	شِفَاء šifāʔ
עברית	מַרְפֵּא marpé

noun act of healing or state of being healed

हिन्दी	उपचार upcār
Português	cura, recuperação, convalescença
Français	guérison

noun solution to a problem

हिन्दी	उपाय upāy, समाधान samādhān
Português	cura, remédio

noun process of preservation

Español	curado
Deutsch	Pökelung

noun process of solidification or gelling

Français	durcissement, prise

noun process whereby a material is caused to form permanent molecular linkages by exposure to chemicals, heat, pressure and/or weathering

Italiano	reticolazione, vulcanizzazione
Русский	вулканиза́ция vulkanizácija

verb to restore to health

Español	curar
한국어	치료하다 chiryohada, 고치다 gochida
日本語	治す naosu, 癒す iyasu, 治療する chiryō suru
中文	治療 /治疗 zhìliáo
हिन्दी	इलाज करना ilāj karnā, उपचार करना upcār karnā
Português	curar, sanar
Français	soigner, guérir
Deutsch	kurieren, heilen
Italiano	curare
Ελληνικά	θεραπεύω therapévo
Română	vindeca, însănătoși, tămădui
Русский	лечи́ть lečítʹ, вы́лечить výlečitʹ, излечи́ть izlečítʹ, исцеля́ть isceljátʹ, исцели́ть iscelítʹ
Tiếng Việt	chữa, chữa bệnh
العربية	شَفَى šafā
עברית	ריפא \ רִפֵּא ripé

verb to bring (a disease) to an end

Español	curar
हिन्दी	उपचार upcār
Português	curar
Français	guérir
Deutsch	heilen

verb to cause to be rid of (a defect)

Português	consertar, curar, sanar

verb to prepare for keeping or use

Español	curar, curtir
Deutsch	haltbar machen, einlegen, trocknen, räuchern, pökeln, einpökeln
Русский	консерви́ровать konservírovatʹ, законсерви́ровать zakonservírovatʹ, вя́лить vjálitʹ, провя́лить provjálitʹ

verb to preserve food, typically by salting

Español	salar
Deutsch	pökeln, einpökeln, in Salz einlegen

verb to undergo a process for preservation or use

Español	curar, curtirse

verb to solidify or gel

Deutsch	aushärten

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Cite this

MLA

"cure." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/cure. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

cure. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/cure

Chicago

"cure." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/cure.

BibTeX

@misc{cure_2026,
  title = {cure},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/cure},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}

cure

AI In plain words

cure¹

Where it comes from

noun cures

cure²

Where it comes from

verb cures · curing · cured

cure³

Where it comes from

noun cures

Cure⁴

Where it comes from

proper noun Cures

Thesaurus

Translations

noun method, device or medication that restores good health

noun act of healing or state of being healed

noun solution to a problem

noun process of preservation

noun process of solidification or gelling

noun process whereby a material is caused to form permanent molecular linkages by exposure to chemicals, heat, pressure and/or weathering

verb to restore to health

verb to bring (a disease) to an end

verb to cause to be rid of (a defect)

verb to prepare for keeping or use

verb to preserve food, typically by salting

verb to undergo a process for preservation or use

verb to solidify or gel

cure^¹

cure^²

cure^³

Cure^⁴