1
a
: spiritual charge : care
b
: pastoral charge of a parish
2
a
: recovery or relief from a disease
Her cure was complete.
b
: something (such as a drug or treatment) that cures a disease
Quinine is a cure for malaria.
c
: a course or period of treatment
take the cure for alcoholism
d
: spa sense 1
one of the fashionable cures
3
: a complete or permanent solution or remedy
seeking a cure for unemployment
4
: a process or method of curing
cured; curing
1
a
: to restore to health, soundness, or normality
cured him of a rare blood disease
b
: to bring about recovery from
cure a disease
2
a
: to deal with in a way that eliminates or rectifies
… his small size, which time would cure for him …—
William Faulkner
William Faulkner
b
: to free from something objectionable or harmful
trying to cure him of a bad habit
3
: to prepare or alter especially by chemical or physical processing for keeping or use
fish cured with salt
1
a
: to undergo a curing process
The hay is curing in the sun.
b
: set sense 11
Cement cures rapidly.
2
: to effect a cure
a potion guaranteed to cure
curer
noun
Did you know?
What is the origin of cure?
In Latin the noun cura had the general sense of “the care, concern, or attention given to something or someone.” It might refer to “medical care or healing.” Christians, however, used the word chiefly in regard to “the care of souls,” since that was one of their main concerns. The word passed into French as cure and then into English with this spiritual sense. The English noun curate, meaning “one who takes care of souls, a member of the clergy,” developed from this sense. Later the medical senses of cure became more common.
Examples of cure in a Sentence
Noun (1)
This is a problem that has no easy cure.
The doctors were unable to effect a cure because the disease had spread too far.
Verb
The infection can be cured with antibiotics.
She was cured of any illusions she had about college after her first semester.
My wife cured me of most of my bad habits.
Recent Examples on the Web
Andy Naylor, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025
Biden also advocated for research into a cure for cancer and secured millions of dollars in federal funding for research into women’s health.
—Darlene Superville, Denver Post, 26 Oct. 2025
Karen Berger, Verywell Health, 27 Oct. 2025
The dish, consisting of tater tots with salmon belly that was cured in-house, required too much time and too many ingredients.
—Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cure
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
There is no cause for panic or a wholesale rethink in search of a cure.
—Andy Naylor, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025
Biden also advocated for research into a cure for cancer and secured millions of dollars in federal funding for research into women’s health.
—Darlene Superville, Denver Post, 26 Oct. 2025
Verb
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), manufacturers of dietary supplements cannot claim that their products can prevent, treat, or cure any medical condition.
—Karen Berger, Verywell Health, 27 Oct. 2025
The dish, consisting of tater tots with salmon belly that was cured in-house, required too much time and too many ingredients.
—Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cure
Cite this Entry
“Cure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cure. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cure
2 of 2 verb
cured; curing
1
a
: to make or become healthy or sound again
b
: to bring about recovery from
2
3
a
: to prepare by a chemical or physical process for use or storage
cure bacon
b
: to go through a curing process
hay curing in the sun
curer
noun
Etymology
Noun
Middle English cure "care of souls," from early French cure (same meaning), from Latin cura "spiritual charge of souls," from earlier cura "care, healing" — related to accurate, curate, curious, secure
Word Origin
In Latin the noun cura had the general sense of "the care, concern, or attention given to something or someone." Often it referred to "medical care or healing." The Roman Christians, however, used the word chiefly in regard to "the care of souls," since that was one of their main concerns. The word passed into French as cure and then into English with this spiritual sense. Later the medical senses of cure became more common. Latin cura was also the basis for the verb accurare, meaning "to take care of." This verb became the source of our word accurate, which at first meant "done with care."
Medical Definition
cure
1 of 2 noun1
: recovery from a disease
his cure was complete
also
: remission of signs or symptoms of a disease especially during a prolonged period of observation
a clinical cure
5-year cure of cancer
compare arrest entry 2
2
: a drug, treatment, regimen, or other agency that cures a disease
quinine is a cure for malaria
3
: a course or period of treatment
especially
: one designed to interrupt an addiction or compulsive habit or to improve general health
take a cure for alcoholism
an annual cure at a spa
4
: spa
5
maritime law
: the medical care awarded a person in the merchant marine who is injured or taken sick in the course of duty
cure
2 of 2 verb
cured; curing
: heal:
a
: to restore to health, soundness, or normality
curing her patients rapidly by new procedures
b
: to bring about recovery from
antibiotics cure many formerly intractable infections
1
: to effect a cure
careful living cures more often than it kills
2
: to take a cure (as in a sanatorium or at a spa)
curer
noun
Legal Definition
cure
verb
cured; curing
: to deal with in a way that eliminates or corrects: as
a
: to use judicial procedures to undo (damage to a litigant's case caused by procedural errors made during a trial)
subsequent proceedings cured harm caused by trial court's error in impermissibly allowing…statements of government witness—National Law Journal
National Law Journal
also
: to judicially correct or negate (procedural errors)
cure a defect in the pleadings
b
: to correct or make acceptable (a defective performance or delivery under a contract)
the nonconformity would be seasonably cured—J. J. White and R. S. Summers
J. J. White and R. S. Summers
c
: to negate (a default by a debtor in bankruptcy) by restoring the debtor and creditor to their positions before the default
: to eliminate or correct a defect
especially
: to correct or make acceptable a defective performance or delivery under a contract
the seller may seasonably notify the buyer of his intention to cure and may then within the contract time make a conforming delivery —Uniform Commercial Code
Uniform Commercial Code
curable
adjective
curability
noun
cure
noun
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