noun

curry

KUH-ree

noun

A dish, originally from South Asian cooking, made with a spiced sauce.

"We ordered a chicken curry and some rice."

"His grandmother makes a fiery lamb curry."

verb

To try to win someone's favor through flattery — almost always in the phrase "curry favor."

"He kept complimenting the boss, clearly trying to curry favor."

"She donated generously to curry favor with the committee."

To groom a horse by rubbing it down, typically with a special comb.

"The stable hand curried the mare every morning."

How to Use Curry

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishEither a spiced dish, or (as a verb, in "curry favor") trying to get on someone's good side.

Common mistake

"Curry favor" is the only common surviving verb use — don't confuse it with "carry" favor, a common misspelling.

Common pairings

chicken curry curry favor with curry powder

Word Forms

curried past tense, curried past tense, curried past tense, curried past tense, curries plural, curries singular, curries singular, curries singular, curries singular

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

We ordered a chicken _____ and some rice.

Etymology

The food sense comes from Tamil kaṟi via French, first appearing in English cookbooks in the 1300s-1700s. The "curry favor" sense comes from an unrelated Middle English word meaning to groom or dress down a horse.

Rhymes for curry

hurry furry slurry blurry flurry scurry

See all rhymes for curry →