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# uncurl

verb (uncurl, uncurls, uncurled, uncurling)

«uncurl» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. To uncurl means to open out or straighten from a curled shape: a hedgehog uncurls when it feels safe. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/uncurl/#m1)
2. To uncurl something means to straighten it out, like uncurling your fingers or a rolled-up poster. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/uncurl/#m2)

### In the lessons

In science and nature lessons, animals uncurl (hedgehogs, woodlice, caterpillars) and plants uncurl (fern leaves in spring). In stories, a cat uncurls from sleep and stretches. Phrases: «uncurl slowly», «uncurl your fingers», «uncurl from a ball».

### Examples

- The hedgehog uncurled when the dog went away. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/uncurl/#x1)
- Fern leaves uncurl in spring like little green springs. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/uncurl/#x2)
- The cat uncurled and stretched in the sunshine. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/uncurl/#x3)
- Slowly uncurl your fingers to show what you are holding. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/uncurl/#x4)
- We uncurled the old map and pinned it on the wall. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/uncurl/#x5)
- A woodlouse rolls into a ball and uncurls when it feels safe. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/uncurl/#x6)
- And then the dragon uncurled himself from around the North Pole, and stretched his long, icy length over the snow, and said: "This is something like! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/uncurl/#x7)

### Note

Regular verb: uncurled, uncurling. Can be used with or without an object: «the cat uncurled» / «she uncurled the poster». Opposite: curl up. «Un-» here means to reverse an action, like in «untie», «undo».

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «uncurl» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/uncurl/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«uncurl» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/uncurl.html) on Mova free.