curl up

curl up (third-person singular simple present curls up, present participle curling up, simple past and past participle curled up)

1. (transitive, of hair) to curl, make curly, shape into curls

   Rollers are a good way to curl up your hair.

2. (intransitive) to become curly
3. (transitive) to coil or shrivel, make into a coil
4. (intransitive) to become coiled or shriveled
5. (intransitive) to shape one's body into a somewhat ball-like shape, with one's legs tucked into the abdomen, especially for cosiness or for protection.

   curl up with a good book

   • 1903, Bret Harte, The Society upon the Stanislaus:

     He smiled a kind of sickly smile, and curled up on the floor.

• upcurl