cure

1.nounB2

Definition

a treatment or medicine that brings a person's health back after they have been ill

Example

Linh's doctor said there is no simple cure for the virus, but rest can help.

collocation: no cure for [illness]

Hugo was glad that researchers are testing a new cure for his family's lung disease.

collocation: a cure for [disease]

Common collocations

cure for [illness/disease]
find a cure
there is no cure
effective cure
miracle cure
permanent cure

Synonyms

remedy
softer, more natural term for home or herbal treatments
treatment
broader — includes care over time, not just a single cure
medication
specific to drugs rather than any healing method

Antonyms

cause
the thing that makes someone sick

Grammar Patterns

cure + for + disease

Usage Note

Often followed by 'for' ('a cure for diabetes'). 'Find a cure' and 'there is no cure' are common fixed expressions used in both medical and metaphorical contexts.

Common Mistakes

The doctor gave me a cure for my fever.

The doctor gave me medicine for my fever.

'Cure' is the treatment that makes you healthy, not the medicine you take once; 'treatment' or 'remedy' fits better for routine medication.

There is no cure to this disease.

There is no cure for this disease.

The correct preposition after 'cure' (noun) is 'for', not 'to'.

2.nounB2

Definition

a way of fixing a difficulty or unwanted situation so that it stops being a problem

Example

Ilan believes that better education is the only cure for the problem of online scams.

collocation: cure for [problem]

Daichi said that there is no quick cure for the city's traffic problems — it takes time.

Common collocations

cure for [problem]
real cure
quick cure
no easy cure
effective cure

Synonyms

solution
neutral and widely applicable across all types of problems
remedy
suggests a practical fix for a specific difficulty
fix
informal, used for everyday problems

Antonyms

cause
the source of the problem
root
the underlying origin of the difficulty

Grammar Patterns

cure + for + problem

Usage Note

Common in the structure 'cure for [problem]' — e.g. 'a cure for unemployment'. Often appears in negative constructions ('no easy cure', 'no quick cure').

1.verbtransitiveB1

Definition

to bring a person who is sick back to full health by removing their illness or disease

Example

Élise took the antibiotics for two weeks, and they cured her chest infection completely.

Ritu's cat was cured of a serious illness after the vet's treatment.

passive: be cured of [illness]

Common collocations

be cured of [illness]
cure someone of [disease]
completely cured
fully cured
cure [illness]

Synonyms

heal
used for wounds and injuries — more about mending than eliminating disease
treat
broader — includes managing symptoms without fully curing

Antonyms

infect
to give someone a disease
worsen
to make an illness worse

Grammar Patterns

cure + someone + of + illness

cure + illness

Usage Note

Common in passive constructions ('was cured of'). The pattern 'cure someone of [illness]' is more frequent in formal and medical writing than 'cure someone's illness' alone.

Common Mistakes

The doctor cured the wound in three days.

The doctor healed the wound in three days.

'Cure' is for diseases and illnesses; 'heal' is for wounds, cuts, and injuries.

This medicine cures from headaches.

This medicine cures headaches.

No 'from' after 'cure' when the illness is the direct object; 'of' is used with the person ('cure someone of an illness').

2.verbtransitiveB2

Definition

to help a person stop a harmful habit or give up something they should not do

Example

Gabriela joined a support group to help cure herself of the habit of biting her nails when she is nervous.

pattern: cure oneself of [habit]

Lukas's parents hope the summer camp will cure him of his laziness.

Common collocations

cure someone of [habit]
cure oneself of [habit]
cure an addiction
cure a fear

Synonyms

break
more everyday and direct than 'cure' for habits
stop
simple and neutral for ending behaviour

Antonyms

develop
to start a habit
acquire
to pick up a habit over time

Grammar Patterns

cure + someone + of + habit/fear/addiction

Usage Note

Almost always used in the pattern 'cure someone of [habit/fear]'. The 'of' preposition is essential — 'cure someone's addiction' is possible but 'cure someone of their addiction' is far more natural.

Common Mistakes

I want to cure my nail-biting.

I want to cure myself of my nail-biting.

When the meaning is breaking a habit, the pattern needs the person as object plus 'of' plus the habit.

3.verbtransitiveB1

Definition

to remove a difficulty or successfully deal with an unwanted situation so it no longer exists

Example

Aaron believes that the best way to cure the bullying problem is a peer-support program.

collocation: cure a [problem]

The new policy helped cure many of the office's communication problems.

Common collocations

cure a problem
cure a situation
cure difficulties
cure divisions

Synonyms

solve
more precise and common for problems with clear answers
fix
informal, used for everyday practical problems
resolve
more formal, suggests a thorough elimination of the difficulty

Antonyms

cause
to create a problem
worsen
to make a problem more serious

Grammar Patterns

cure + problem/situation/difficulty

Usage Note

Often takes abstract objects such as 'problem', 'situation', 'difficulty', 'division', 'unemployment'. Less common with concrete objects.

Common Mistakes

The new software cured the computer.

The new software cured the computer's performance problems.

The direct object must be the problem itself, not the thing affected by the problem.

4.verbtransitiveB2

Definition

to preserve meat, fish, or other food by adding salt, smoke, or other substances that stop it from going bad

Example

In the coastal village, the fishermen cure their catch with salt and hang it to dry.

The butcher showed us how to cure pork with salt, sugar, and spices before smoking it.

pattern: cure [meat] with [substance]

Common collocations

cured meat
cured fish
cured ham
cure with salt
cure by smoking
cure [meat] for [period of time]

Synonyms

preserve
broader — includes canning, freezing, pickling, not just salting/smoking
smoke
specific to one method of curing
salt
specific to one method of curing

Antonyms

spoil
to go bad
rot
to decay naturally

Grammar Patterns

cure + meat/fish + with + salt/smoke

Usage Note

Typically used as a passive participle ('cured ham', 'cured salmon'). The object is almost always meat, fish, or pork products — not vegetables or fruit.

Common Mistakes

We cured the vegetables in the fridge.

We cured the pork with salt and smoked it.

'Cure' for food preservation is specific to meat and fish, not vegetables, and involves salt/smoke/drying — not refrigeration.

How long should I cure the beef?

How long should I cure the beef with salt before smoking it?

The method (salt, smoke, etc.) should usually be stated or clearly implied.

Idioms

kill or cure

idiom

This phrase describes a situation where an action will either solve a problem completely or make it much worse.

Maya decided to try the risky treatment, knowing it was kill or cure.

Is this investment a kill or cure move for the company's future?

Word family

curable
adjectiveB2
incurable
adjectiveB2
cured
adjectiveB2
cure-all
nounC1
curative
adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

'Cure', 'heal', 'treat', and 'remedy' all relate to making someone better, but they differ in scope and use. 'Cure' focuses on completely eliminating a disease or illness — you cure someone of an infection. 'Heal' is about the body mending itself, especially wounds and injuries (a broken bone heals, a cut heals). You can heal a wound but you cannot cure a wound. 'Treat' is broader and does not guarantee a cure — a doctor treats a patient by managing symptoms even when the disease has no cure (e.g. 'doctors treat diabetes but cannot cure it'). 'Remedy' as a verb is less common and refers to fixing a smaller problem or something undesirable. Example: 'The cream cured his skin rash completely' vs. 'The cream treated the symptoms but did not cure it' vs. 'Her skin healed after two weeks.'

heal ↗treat ↗remedy ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

a cure for
be cured of
find a cure
there is no cure

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'cure' comes from Latin 'cura', meaning 'care, concern, or treatment'. It passed into Old French as 'curer' (to take care of) and entered Middle English around the 13th century with the medical meaning of 'restoring to health'. The sense of 'preserving food' appeared later in the 1700s, and the metaphorical use for 'solving a problem' developed in the 1800s.

Entries near

Previous entries

Next entries

cure

cure — noun

1. a treatment or medicine that brings a person's health back after they have been

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

2. a way of fixing a difficulty or unwanted situation so that it stops being a prob

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

cure — verb

1. to bring a person who is sick back to full health by removing their illness or d

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

2. to help a person stop a harmful habit or give up something they should not do

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

3. to remove a difficulty or successfully deal with an unwanted situation so it no

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

4. to preserve meat, fish, or other food by adding salt, smoke, or other substances

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

kill or cure

Word family

Synonym discussion

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

Entries near

Entries near