curb vs kerb

curb

verb
  • To damage vehicle wheels or tires by running into or over a pavement curb. 

  • To rein in. 

  • To bend or curve. 

  • To furnish with a curb, as a well; to restrain by a curb, as a bank of earth. 

  • To crouch; to cringe. 

  • To check, restrain or control. 

  • To bring to a stop beside a curb. 

noun
  • Something that checks or restrains; a restraint. 

  • A swelling on the back part of the hind leg of a horse, just behind the lowest part of the hock joint, generally causing lameness. 

  • A concrete margin along the edge of a road; a kerb (UK, Australia, New Zealand) 

  • A riding or driving bit for a horse that has rein action which amplifies the pressure in the mouth by leverage advantage placing pressure on the poll via the crown piece of the bridle and chin groove via a curb chain. 

  • A sidewalk, covered or partially enclosed, bordering the airport terminal road system with adjacent paved areas to permit vehicles to off-load or load passengers. 

  • A raised margin along the edge of something, such as a well or the eye of a dome, as a strengthening. 

kerb

verb
  • To damage vehicle wheels or tyres by running into or over a pavement kerb. 

  • To take a dog to the kerb for the purpose of evacuating. 

noun
  • The raised edge between the pavement and the roadway, typically made of concrete though originally consisting of a line of kerbstones. 

  • A stone ring built to enclose and sometimes revet the cairn or barrow built over a chamber tomb. 

How often have the words curb and kerb occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )