cure
gb/kjˈʊɹ/ us/kjˈʊɹ/
B1
English
~ 6200
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B1
entity
1
treatment that ends a disease
Something, like a medicine or treatment, that makes a disease or medical problem go away completely.
Usage pattern:
a cure for [illness/condition]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "cure" when they mean "treatment". A "treatment" may help or control a disease, but a "cure" means the disease is completely gone. Also, use the preposition "for": "a cure for cancer," not "a cure of cancer" in modern English.
Synonyms
remedy (Often refers to something that relieves symptoms and may be less strong than a complete cure.)
Antonyms
disease (A disease is the harmful condition that a cure removes.)
Collocations
find a cure
|search for a cure
|discover a cure
|a cure for cancer
|miracle cure
|effective cure
Themes
health
|medicine
|science
Examples
- Researchers hope this new drug will be a cure for the disease.
- So far, there is no known cure for Alzheimer’s.
- After years of treatment, the doctors finally found a cure for his condition.
- Many people are willing to pay anything if you promise them a cure.
- The charity raises money to help find a cure for rare childhood cancers.
Learner examples
- Scientists want to find a cure for cancer.
- There is no cure for the common cold.
- This medicine is not a cure, but it helps the pain.
- They are looking for a cure for her illness.
- He believes that exercise is the best cure for stress.
Verb
B1
action
2
make someone free of disease
To make a person or animal healthy again by making their disease or medical problem go away.
Usage pattern:
to cure [someone/something] (of [illness])
Common mistake:
Learners often mix up "cure" and "heal". Use "cure" with the disease or medical condition ("cure the disease," "cure him of the illness"). Use "heal" more with injuries or the body part ("heal the wound," "his leg healed"). Also, do not say *"cure from"; say "cure someone of something."
Synonyms
heal (Often refers more generally to making someone healthy again; it can include natural recovery, not just medical action, and may focus on the body or emotions rather than the disease itself.)
Antonyms
infect (To infect someone is to give them a disease, the opposite of curing them.)
Collocations
cure a disease
|cure a patient
|cure cancer
|cure an infection
|cure someone of addiction
Themes
health
|medicine
Examples
- The new treatment cured most patients of the infection.
- Antibiotics can cure many bacterial illnesses if taken correctly.
- The doctors hope the surgery will cure her of the heart defect.
- Some forms of cancer can now be cured completely.
- He was cured of his addiction after a long stay in rehab.
Learner examples
- The medicine cured her quickly.
- Doctors cured him of the disease.
- This drug can cure many people with this problem.
- They hope the operation will cure her.
- He was finally cured of his smoking habit.
Noun
B2
entity
3
complete solution to a problem
A way to completely stop a problem or bad situation.
Usage pattern:
a cure for [problem/situation]
Common mistake:
Learners may use "cure" too freely for any small problem. In this sense, "cure" usually suggests a complete and often difficult solution for a serious or complex problem, not everyday minor issues. For simple problems, "fix" or "answer" or "way to solve it" may sound more natural.
Synonyms
solution (A general word for a way to fix a problem; it does not always suggest the problem is completely gone, while "cure" often does.)
Antonyms
problem (A problem is the difficulty that a cure is supposed to remove.)
Collocations
no easy cure
|a cure for unemployment
|quick cure
|simple cure
|permanent cure
|a cure for the problem
Themes
problems
|society
|business
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- There is no simple cure for poverty.
- Technology alone is not a cure for all our environmental problems.
- Education is often seen as the best cure for ignorance.
- New laws may help, but they are not a cure for corruption.
- Better public transport is the only real cure for traffic congestion.
Learner examples
- There is no easy cure for crime in big cities.
- More money is not a cure for every problem.
- There is no quick cure for stress at work.
- Good teaching can be a cure for low test scores.
- Better rules are not a full cure for the issue.
Verb
B2
action
4
solve or end a problem
To stop a problem, bad situation, or bad habit so it does not continue.
Usage pattern:
to cure [a problem/bad situation/habit]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "cure" for very small or everyday problems (like a broken pen), where verbs like "fix" or "solve" are more natural. "Cure" usually sounds stronger and is used for serious or long-term problems or bad habits.
Synonyms
solve (A very general verb for finding an answer; "cure" often suggests a deeper or more complete end to the problem.)
Antonyms
cause (To cause a problem is to make it start or become worse, the opposite of curing it.)
Collocations
cure social ills
|cure the problem
|cure poverty
|cure traffic congestion
|cure the housing crisis
Themes
problems
|society
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- This law alone will not cure the housing crisis.
- More police may reduce crime, but they will not cure it.
- Raising taxes will not cure all the country’s financial problems.
- Improved training helped cure many of the company’s safety issues.
- Better communication could cure a lot of misunderstandings in the office.
Learner examples
- More money will not cure all the problems here.
- A new app cannot cure every traffic problem in the city.
- Better plans can cure many problems at work.
- Good study habits can cure most of his test worries.
- Strong rules may help cure corruption.
Verb
B2
action
5
preserve meat or fish with salt/smoke
To keep meat or fish good for a long time by putting salt, sugar, or smoke on it and drying it.
Usage pattern:
to cure [meat/fish/bacon/ham]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think this food meaning is related to making something healthy. In this sense, "cure" is only about preserving food, not about health. Do not say the food is "cured" to mean it is safe or healthy; it means it was kept using salt, smoke, or drying.
Synonyms
preserve (A broader verb for making food last longer; "cure" is more specific to methods like salting, smoking, or drying, especially for meat and fish.)
Antonyms
spoil (Food that spoils goes bad, the opposite of what curing tries to prevent.)
Collocations
cure meat
|cure bacon
|cure ham
|cure fish
|cure salmon
|home-cured bacon
Themes
food
|cooking
|food_drink
Examples
- They cure the ham with salt and sugar for several weeks.
- The fish is cured and then smoked to give it more flavour.
- In this region, people traditionally cure meat to survive the winter.
- The chef cures his own bacon in the restaurant’s kitchen.
- You need to cure the salmon overnight before you smoke it.
Learner examples
- They cure the meat with salt so it does not go bad.
- The fish is cured and then smoked.
- Her family used to cure meat at home every year.
- The chef cures his own bacon in the kitchen.
- We cured the salmon for two days before eating it.
Noun
B2
entity
6
method or mixture for preserving food
A special way or mix of things used to keep meat or fish good for a long time, often using salt, sugar, or smoke.
Usage pattern:
a [salt/sugar/dry] cure for [meat/fish]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse the noun "cure" here with the process noun "curing" ("the curing process"). Both are used, but in recipes and food writing, a "salt cure" or "sugar cure" often refers to the actual mixture or specific method, not just the general process.
Synonyms
preserving method (A more general phrase; "cure" is the specific traditional method or mixture used to preserve the food.)
Antonyms
decay (Decay is the natural rotting process of food that a cure is meant to prevent.)
Collocations
a salt cure
|a sugar cure
|a dry cure
|the cure for the ham
|a traditional cure
Themes
food
|cooking
|food_drink
Examples
- The bacon is prepared using a traditional dry cure.
- The butcher recommended a salt cure for the pork belly.
- This recipe uses a sugar cure to give the ham a sweeter taste.
- The cure for the salmon includes herbs and citrus peel.
- Each region has its own style of cure for fish.
Learner examples
- The chef uses a dry cure for the bacon.
- We tried a salt cure for the fish.
- This cure makes the meat taste sweet.
- He learned a special cure for ham from his grandfather.
- Each shop has a different cure for its bacon.
Verb
technical
C1
action
7
let a material harden and set
To let or make something like concrete or glue become hard and solid through a chemical process.
Usage pattern:
to cure [concrete/resin/adhesive]; [material] cures for [time]
Common mistake:
Learners may think this is about health because of the more common medical meaning. In technical manuals, "cure" often only refers to the hardening process of materials. It is not natural to say "cure the wall" meaning "repair it"; it means let the new material harden.
Synonyms
set (A common verb for becoming firm or hard; "cure" is more technical and used for specific materials and processes.)
Antonyms
soften (To make or become softer, the opposite physical change from curing in this technical sense.)
Collocations
allow the concrete to cure
|let it cure
|cure the resin
|fully cured
|curing time
Themes
science
|technology
|construction
Examples
- The concrete needs at least 24 hours to cure before you walk on it.
- Make sure the adhesive has fully cured before applying any pressure.
- The resin cures faster at higher temperatures.
- If the paint does not cure properly, it will start to peel.
- Allow the sealant to cure overnight for the best results.
Learner examples
- The glue must cure for one day.
- The concrete will cure slowly in cold weather.
- Let the paint cure before you touch it.
- This resin cures in just a few minutes.
- If it does not cure well, the surface will break.
Noun
archaic
C1
entity
8
spiritual care of parishioners
An old term for the job of a church leader to care for the spiritual life of people in a church area.
Usage pattern:
the cure of [souls]; hold the cure of [souls]
Common mistake:
Learners may misread this as the medical sense of "cure". In this old religious phrase, "cure" is about spiritual care, not about ending a disease.
Synonyms
pastoral care (A more modern and common term for a religious leader’s care for people’s spiritual and emotional needs.)
Antonyms
neglect (Failure to care for people, which is the opposite of giving them spiritual care.)
Collocations
the cure of souls
|hold the cure of souls
|entrusted with the cure of souls
Themes
religion
|relationships
Examples
- The priest was entrusted with the cure of souls in the parish.
- In medieval times, the cure of souls was seen as a sacred duty.
- He wrote about the responsibilities that come with the cure of souls.
- The bishop assigned him the cure of souls in the rural villages.
- Her study focuses on how the cure of souls was understood in the 17th century.
Learner examples
- The old text talks about the cure of souls in the village.
- The priest had the cure of souls in that area.
- In the past, people wrote about the cure of souls as a holy duty.
- The book explains what the cure of souls means in the church.
- This phrase, "the cure of souls," is not common today.
Grammar
Dictionary form
cure
IPA
GB/kjˈʊɹ/
US/kjˈʊɹ/
Syllables & stress
cure (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (cure)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: cure
- Plural: cure, cures
Verb
- Base: cure
- 3rd Person Singular: cures
- Present Participle: curing
- Past: cured
Word family
Expressions
cure what ails you
1/kjˈʊɹ wˈʌt ˈeɪlz jˈu/
idiom
informal
make you feel better overall
To make you feel better from whatever problem or pain you have, often said in a light or joking way.
Examples
- A hot bowl of soup will cure what ails you.
- He offered her some herbal tea to cure what ails her.
cure-all
1/kjˈʊɹ ˈɔl/
fixed phrase
supposed solution for everything
Something that people say can fix every problem or illness, usually used with doubt or criticism.
Examples
- There is no magic cure-all for stress.
- Politicians like to present simple cure-alls for complex social issues.
no cure for
1/nˈoʊ kjˈʊɹ fɚ/
fixed phrase
no treatment can end it
Used to say that there is no way to make a certain disease or problem go away completely.
Examples
- There is still no cure for the common cold.
- Sadly, there’s no cure for his condition yet.
the cure is worse than the disease
1/ðə kjˈʊɹ ˈɪz wˈɚs ðən ðə dɪzˈiz/
idiom
solution causes more harm than problem
The way you try to fix a problem is making more trouble than the problem itself.
Examples
- If the new law destroys small businesses, the cure is worse than the disease.
- They added so many rules that the cure was worse than the disease.
an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
1/ən ˈaʊns əv pɹivˈɛnʃən ˈɪz wˈɚθ ə pˈaʊnd əv kjˈʊɹ/
idiom
small prevention saves big repair
A little work to stop a problem now is better than a lot of work to fix it later.
Examples
- Get your car checked regularly—an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
- Vaccination shows that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
2/ən ˈaʊns əv pɹivˈɛnʃən ˈɪz wˈɚθ ə pˈaʊnd əv kjˈʊɹ/
idiom
prevention is better than cure
It is better and easier to stop a problem before it starts than to fix it after it happens.
Examples
- I always back up my files; an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
- Wear sunscreen—remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
prevention is better than cure
1/pɹivˈɛnʃən ˈɪz bˈɛtɚ ðən kjˈʊɹ/
idiom
stopping problems beats fixing them later
It is better to stop a problem (especially illness) before it happens than to try to fix it later.
Examples
- You should wear sunscreen; prevention is better than cure.
- Regular exercise proves that prevention is better than cure when it comes to heart disease.
prevention is better than cure
2/pɹivˈɛnʃən ˈɪz bˈɛtɚ ðən kjˈʊɹ/
idiom
Better to stop problems early
It is better to stop a problem before it happens than to fix it later.
Examples
- When it comes to health, prevention is better than cure.
- Installing security cameras is a case of prevention is better than cure.