curdle

intransitive-verb
UK: /ˈkɜːdl/
US: /ˈkɜːrdl/

  1. To go bad and become thick and lumpy.

    1. The milk will curdle if you don't refrigerate it soon.
    2. If you add lemon juice to milk, it might curdle and ruin your recipe.

  2. To spoil and separate into solids and liquid.

    1. The sauce started to curdle because it was heated too quickly.
    2. The extreme heat caused the coconut milk to curdle, making it unusable.

Synonyms

thicken clot sour spoil
curdle transitive-verb

  1. To cause a liquid, especially milk, to thicken into lumps.

    1. Lemon juice can curdle milk.
    2. Some enzymes curdle the milk to make cheese.

  2. To ruin or spoil something.

    1. The bad news seemed to curdle her good mood instantly.
    2. His cruel words seemed to curdle the warm atmosphere of the room.
curdle noun

  1. A mass of curdled milk.

    1. She found a curdle in her milk.
    2. The cheese is made from milk curdle.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "curdle" in English means: To go bad and become thick and lumpy., To spoil and separate into solids and liquid..

The phonetic transcription of "curdle" is /ˈkɜːdl/ in British English and /ˈkɜːrdl/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "curdle": thicken, clot, sour, spoil.

Example usage of "curdle": "The milk will curdle if you don't refrigerate it soon.". More examples on the page.