curse

n.

1. Malediction

   oath, imprecation, blasphemy, expletive, profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, sacrilege, profanation, execration, anathema, ban, hex, jinx, evil eye, fulmination, cursing, swearing, profane swearing, blaspheming, denunciation, damning, commination, objurgation, vilification, obloquy, swearword, dirty word*, blue word*, cuss word*, cussing*, naughty word*, bad language*, four-letter word*. *

   Common exclamations and curses include: plague on it, Lord, oh God, the Devil, bless my soul, bless me, by Jove, gracious, goodness, oh my, oh me, in Heaven's name, great Caesar's ghost, the deuce, did you ever; gee*, gee whillikins*, gadzooks*, mercy*, sakes alive*, drat*, good night*, so what*, dang*, land of Goshen*, darn*, hang it all*, bejesus*, blast*, blimy*, by crickey*, Chrisamighty*, Keerist*, damn it*, damn*, double-damn*, goshdamn*, goshdang*, gosh darn*, by golly*, Chrisake*, damn-it-to-hell*, for cripe's sake*, for crying out loud*, Gawd*, Judas Priest*, Jesus H. Christ*, I swan the Deil*, Lord-a-mercy*, I'll be cow-kicked and hornswoggled*, I'll be a lop-eared gazelle*, I'll be damned*, I'll be a son of a gun*, I'll be a monkey's uncle*, God's teeth*, hell's whiskers*, hell's bells*, ye gods, ye gods and little fishes*, holy mackerel*, cheese and crackers*, holy bilge water*, holy smokes*, geez*, jeepers creepers*, ay caramba*, yikes*, shoot*, ach, Gott in Himmel, Gottlob, Donnerwetter (all German)*, sacré bleu*, mon Dieu*, diable*, cochon (all French)*, diablo (Spanish)*.

2. Trouble or a cause of trouble

   bane, evil, affliction, scourge; see affliction. See syn. study at blasphemy.

curse

v.

1. To utter curses

   swear, blaspheme, profane, swear profanely, use foul language, be foul-mouthed, be obscene, take the Lord's name in vain, use strong language, use invective, turn the air blue*, swear like a trooper*, cuss*.

2. To swear at

   execrate, imprecate, damn, vituperate, abuse, revile, insult, call down curses on the head of, put a curse on, invoke harm on, call down evil on, anathematize, maledict, wish calamity on, blast, doom, fulminate against, thunder against, blaspheme, denounce, vilify, blight, call names*, cuss out*, put a whammy on*.

3. To pronounce a religious curse

   ban, anathematize, read out of the church; see damn 1.

curse is the general word for calling down evil or injury on someone or something; damn carries the same general meaning but, in strict usage, implies the use of the word ``damn"" in the curse he damned his enemies = he said, ``Damn my enemies!""; execrate suggests cursing prompted by great anger or abhorrence; imprecate suggests the calling down of calamity on someone, esp. from a desire for revenge; anathematize strictly refers to the formal utterance of solemn condemnation by ecclesiastical authority, but in general use suggests vehement denunciation of a person or thing viewed as detestable