curl up

See also: curl-up

English

a curled up millipede

Verb

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

1. (transitive, of hair) to curl, make curly, shape into curls

   Rollers are a good way to curl up your hair.

2. (intransitive) to become curly
3. (transitive) to coil or shrivel, make into a coil
4. (intransitive) to become coiled or shriveled
5. (intransitive) to 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

   • 1903, Bret Harte, The Society upon the Stanislaus:

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

Translations

of hair: to shape into curls

• Finnish: kihartaa (fi)

to become curly

• Finnish: kihartua

to make into a coil

• Finnish: vyyhtiä (fi)

to become coiled or shrivelled

• French: se recroqueviller (fr)
• Maori: hūmene
• Polish: zwinąć się w kłębek (pl) pf

to tuck one’s legs up against the abdomen and wrap arms around the raised knees

• Finnish: käpertyä (fi)
• French: se pelotonner (fr), se recroqueviller (fr)
• Indonesian: meringkuk (id)
• Irish: déan ceirtlín díot féin (literally “make a ball of oneself”)
• Italian: rannicchiarsi (it), arricciarsi, raggomitolarsi (it)
• Maori: koropeke
• Polish: zwinąć się w kłębek (pl) pf
• Swedish: krypa ihop, kura ihop sig (sv)

Anagrams

• upcurl