How to Use curdle in a Sentence

curdle

verb
  • Too much heat will curdle the custard.
  • Too much heat will make the custard curdle.
  • Do not let boil, or egg yolks will curdle.
    — Judy Bart Kancigor, Oc Register, 14 Aug. 2025
  • Does a vague sense of dread curdle your belly?
    — Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 13 May 2026
  • If the mixture starts to curdle, add a few spoons of the flour.
    — Sophie Dweck, townandcountrymag.com, 24 Apr. 2023
  • The fat cap will look like hardened wax curdling on top of the surface.
    — Joseph Hernandez, chicagotribune.com, 9 May 2017
  • Even readers like me, already curdled against cars, will learn things.
    — Peter C. Baker, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2023
  • As the crisis dragged on, the alliance curdled.
    — Bobby Ghosh, Time, 5 Mar. 2026
  • The center will still be a bit liquid and the sides almost curdled.
    — Madeleine Luckel, Vogue, 31 Oct. 2017
  • Reddit is surging at a time when much of the rest of the social web has curdled.
    — Adrienne Lafrance, The Atlantic, 4 Mar. 2025
  • But as the logic of the Cold War took hold, those hopes curdled.
    — Samuel Clowes Huneke, The New Republic, 22 Sep. 2023
  • Add 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice to 1 cup of milk to curdle it.
    — Tribune News Service, cleveland, 31 Jan. 2022
  • Add milk to fill one cup; stir and let sit five minutes to slightly curdle and thicken.
    — Kim Sunée, Anchorage Daily News, 10 Feb. 2022
  • The lemon curd filling must be whisked until smooth, but never curdled.
    — Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 15 Feb. 2026
  • Paula looks on with disbelief that’s starting to curdle for me.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Aug. 2021
  • The cast buoys material that, in the wrong hands, could’ve curdled in a minute.
    — Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2023
  • The sculpture will show Stern, mid-blood-curdling scream as the spider lands on his face.
    — Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Dec. 2025
  • This comes in handy when making something like custard, which can curdle or burn if the pan gets hot too fast.
    — Wilder Davies, Bon Appétit, 18 Mar. 2025
  • Things had started off promisingly in the late spring but curdled by the end of the summer.
    — Cressida Leyshon, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
  • Remove the pan from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes (don’t skip this step or the sour cream may curdle).
    — Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 29 May 2024
  • If frosting looks curdled after all your butter is added, the mixture may be too cold.
    — Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 June 2024
  • By the 1950s, the glamour had curdled.
    — Remy Blumenfeld, HollywoodReporter, 13 Nov. 2025
  • If the temperature is too hot, the crème fraîche could curdle, and nobody has time for that.
    — Josh Miller, Southern Living, 25 Dec. 2024
  • Abraham watched the reports over and over on his phone, his stomach curdling with regret.
    — Author: Sabrina Tavernise, Alaska Dispatch News, 26 Aug. 2017
  • If any of your ingredients are too cold, the batter can curdle.
    — Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 11 Aug. 2025
  • Wall Street sentiment has curdled on this chain in recent months.
    — Sarah Halzack, Fortune, 15 July 2019
  • If the temperature is too hot, the crème fraîche could curdle, and nobody has time for that.
    — Josh Miller, Southern Living, 19 June 2026
  • The process starts with curdling milk—converting it from liquid to solid.
    — Sophia Chen, WIRED, 14 July 2015
  • Fold in egg whites (mixture may look curdled); beat at medium speed for a few seconds or until smooth.
    — Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Apr. 2026
  • The cream cheese in our spinach dip winded up curdling right at the beginning and even scorched a little at the end.
    — Nor'adila Hepburn, Southern Living, 27 Sep. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'curdle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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