Standard Lemma guide

curdle

verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈkɜː.dəl/
  • General-American: /ˈkɝ.dəl/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)dəl

1

verb

Meaning 1

To form curds so that it no longer flows smoothly; to cause to form such curds. (usually said of milk)

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: ambitransitive

Examples

  • Too much lemon will curdle the milk in your tea.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: curd

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To clot or coagulate; to cause to congeal, such as through cold. (metaphorically of blood)

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: ambitransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To cause a liquid to spoil and form clumps so that it no longer flows smoothly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

turn from a liquid to a solid mass

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • his blood curdled

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: clot, coagulate

5

verb

Meaning 5

go bad or sour

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The milk curdled

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: spoil, go bad

6

verb

Meaning 6

turn into curds

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • curdled milk

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: clabber, clot

Antonyms: homogenise, homogenize

Broader terms: change state, turn

History

Etymology

Metathesis of earlier dialectal cruddle, crudle, equivalent to curd + -le (frequentative suffix).

Across languages

Translations

109 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: mpiks — to form or cause to form curds
  • Albanian: mpiksem — to form or cause to form curds
  • Arabic: تَخَثَّرَ (taḵaṯṯara) — to form or cause to form curds
  • Aromanian: ncljeg — to form or cause to form curds
  • Bulgarian: пресичам се (presičam se) — to form or cause to form curds
  • Bulgarian: съсирвам се (sǎsirvam se) — to form or cause to form curds
  • Catalan: quallar — to form or cause to form curds
  • Czech: srazit — to form or cause to form curds
  • Czech: srazit se — to form or cause to form curds
  • Czech: srážet — to form or cause to form curds
  • Czech: srážet se — to form or cause to form curds
  • Dutch: stremmen — to form or cause to form curds
  • Finnish: juoksettaa — to form or cause to form curds
  • Finnish: juoksettua — to form or cause to form curds
  • French: cailler — to form or cause to form curds
  • Friulian: caglâ — to form or cause to form curds
  • Galician: callar — to form or cause to form curds
  • Italian: cagliare — to form or cause to form curds
  • Macedonian: засирува (zasiruva) — to form or cause to form curds
  • Macedonian: згрутчува (zgrutčuva) — to form or cause to form curds
  • Manx: binjee — to form or cause to form curds
  • Manx: binjeanee — to form or cause to form curds
  • Manx: groo — to form or cause to form curds
  • Māori: tepe — to form or cause to form curds
  • Māori: tetepe — to form or cause to form curds
  • Māori: kurukuruwhatu — to form or cause to form curds
  • Māori: pupuru — to form or cause to form curds
  • Norman: cailli — to form or cause to form curds
  • Old Church Slavonic: осꙑрѣти (osyrěti) — to form or cause to form curds
  • Persian: دلمه شدن (dalame šodan) — to form or cause to form curds
  • Persian: دلمه کردن (dalame kardan) — to form or cause to form curds
  • Persian: کلچیدن (kalčidan) — to form or cause to form curds
  • Persian: کلچانیدن (kalčânidan) — to form or cause to form curds
  • Polish: ścinać się — to form or cause to form curds
  • Polish: zsiadać się — to form or cause to form curds
  • Portuguese: coalhar — to form or cause to form curds
  • Romanian: închega — to form or cause to form curds
  • Russian: створа́живаться (stvoráživatʹsja) — to form or cause to form curds
  • Russian: створо́житься (stvoróžitʹsja) — to form or cause to form curds
  • Russian: створа́живать (stvoráživatʹ) — to form or cause to form curds
  • Russian: створо́жить (stvoróžitʹ) — to form or cause to form curds
  • Campidanese Sardinian: callai — to form or cause to form curds
  • Sardinian: cragare — to form or cause to form curds
  • Scots: yirn — to form or cause to form curds
  • Serbo-Croatian: засирити — to form or cause to form curds
  • Serbo-Croatian: згруша́вати — to form or cause to form curds
  • Serbo-Croatian: zasiriti — to form or cause to form curds
  • Serbo-Croatian: zgrušávati — to form or cause to form curds
  • Sicilian: cagghiari — to form or cause to form curds
  • Sicilian: quagghiari — to form or cause to form curds
  • Spanish: cuajar — to form or cause to form curds
  • Swedish: skära — to form or cause to form curds
  • Tamil: துவை (tuvai) — to form or cause to form curds
  • Tamil: தோய் (tōy) — to form or cause to form curds
  • Tamil: பிரைகுத்து (piraikuttu) — to form or cause to form curds
  • Tamil: பிரைக்கு வை (piraikku vai) — to form or cause to form curds
  • Telugu: తోడుకొను (tōḍukonu) — to form or cause to form curds
  • Telugu: విరుగు (virugu) — to form or cause to form curds
  • Ukrainian: ґляґа́ти (gljagáty) — to form or cause to form curds
  • Ukrainian: ву́рдити (vúrdyty) — to form or cause to form curds
  • Ukrainian: зву́рджувати (zvúrdžuvaty) — to form or cause to form curds
  • Ukrainian: зву́рдити (zvúrdyty) — to form or cause to form curds
  • Ukrainian: зґля́ґатися (zgljágatysja) — to form or cause to form curds
  • Ukrainian: зґляґа́тися (zgljagátysja) — to form or cause to form curds
  • Ukrainian: зву́рджуватися (zvúrdžuvatysja) — to form or cause to form curds
  • Ukrainian: зву́рдитися (zvúrdytysja) — to form or cause to form curds
  • Venetan: cagiar — to form or cause to form curds
  • Venetan: inconajar — to form or cause to form curds
  • Welsh: ceulo — to form or cause to form curds
  • Aromanian: ncljeg — to coagulate
  • Bulgarian: коагулирам (koaguliram) — to coagulate
  • Dutch: klonteren — to coagulate
  • Finnish: hyydyttää — to coagulate
  • Finnish: hyytyä — to coagulate
  • French: coaguler — to coagulate
  • Galician: callar — to coagulate
  • Galician: trallar — to coagulate
  • German: gerinnen — to coagulate
  • Latin: concrescō — to coagulate
  • Macedonian: засирува (zasiruva) — to coagulate
  • Macedonian: згрутчува (zgrutčuva) — to coagulate
  • Portuguese: coagular — to coagulate
  • Romanian: închega — to coagulate
  • Russian: свёртываться (svjórtyvatʹsja) — to coagulate
  • Russian: свора́чиваться (svoráčivatʹsja) — to coagulate
  • Russian: сверну́ться (svernútʹsja) — to coagulate
  • Russian: коагули́ровать (koagulírovatʹ) — to coagulate
  • Russian: коагули́роваться (koagulírovatʹsja) — to coagulate
  • Russian: сгуща́ться (sguščátʹsja) — to coagulate
  • Russian: сгусти́ться (sgustítʹsja) — to coagulate
  • Serbo-Croatian: згруша́вати — to coagulate
  • Serbo-Croatian: згу̏снути — to coagulate
  • Serbo-Croatian: zgrušávati — to coagulate
  • Serbo-Croatian: zgȕsnuti — to coagulate
  • Spanish: coagular — to coagulate
  • Swedish: stelna — to coagulate
  • Tamil: கட்டு (kaṭṭu) — to coagulate
  • Tamil: தோய் (tōy) — to coagulate
  • Dutch: klonteren — to cause to form clumps
  • Finnish: saostaa — to cause to form clumps
  • Finnish: saostua — to cause to form clumps
  • Macedonian: згрутчува (zgrutčuva) — to cause to form clumps
  • Russian: сгуща́ть (sguščátʹ) — to cause to form clumps
  • Russian: сгусти́ть (sgustítʹ) — to cause to form clumps
  • Russian: свёртывать (svjórtyvatʹ) — to cause to form clumps
  • Russian: свора́чивать (svoráčivatʹ) — to cause to form clumps
  • Russian: сверну́ть (svernútʹ) — to cause to form clumps
  • Serbo-Croatian: згруша́вати — to cause to form clumps
  • Serbo-Croatian: zgrušávati — to cause to form clumps