curdle

The light didn’t fade so much as curdle.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

A practicing Mormon, Coppins had no previous experience with gambling but quickly learned how easily the “joyful naivete” of his initial use “could curdle into delusion and compulsion.”

From Slate ● May 5, 2026

But I think that people think sometimes you'd be like, 'Oh, cream and citrus together, it going to curdle?'

From Salon ● Dec. 21, 2024

But his father declined the offer, and Cuenci’s voice began to curdle under the influence of puberty.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2022

From my place in the shade it isn’t so bad, but the stink of bodies, all sweating with the morning work, is enough to make milk curdle.

From "Red Queen" by Victoria Aveyard

Euphoria curdles into frustration as she drops her head into her hand, the realization sinking in that the finals are now out of reach.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026

There may be an undercurrent of gossip, like the hints of discord between Affleck and Leavitt, but nothing that curdles our mood.

From Salon ● Nov. 4, 2025

I’ve seen it over and over in my practice: A gesture that is initially received with intense gratitude curdles into hurt or anger.

From Slate ● Mar. 23, 2025

Dr. Ash’s old-world affect tilts and curdles, his mien shifting from twinkly “Mad Men” gentility to something cooler and more menacing.

From New York Times ● May 25, 2023

One morning while Lyddie was churning, just as the cream was breaking into curdles, the cook told Lyddie about the two frogs who fell into the pail of milk.

From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson

Against him stand those who think Britain's hostility to cooling has curdled into a type of masochism.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

A decade in New York had promised stardom; by Christmas 2016, the promise had curdled.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 30, 2026

Sharon would soon suffer a devastating stroke, but his Gaza policy survived and curdled.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 28, 2025

Even as investor sentiment has curdled, TD Cowen believes a sustained appetite for data-center spending could cause Vertiv’s customer orders to accelerate as soon as the fourth quarter.

From Barron's ● Dec. 1, 2025

‘She had already nearly curdled me. Honestly, I nearly tried on Bilbo’s ring. I longed to disappear.’

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien

“Fish market gone bad, brine and blood. The melon sweetness of curdling bacteria. Urine, too, hot, tacky.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

He returned to a hometown that seemed to be developing under that same American planning influence whose reputation was curdling up north.

From Slate ● Dec. 22, 2024

The tagline — “What a guy! What a lug! What a hero! What a bum!” — illustrates the tentative truce between fans and umpires that is always, inevitably, one call from curdling.

From Seattle Times ● May 31, 2024

That queasy, curdling feeling has finally been conquered.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2024

"No," Park said, anger and everything else curdling in his stomach.

From "Eleanor & Park" by Rainbow Rowell