curb vs strengthen

curb

verb
  • To check, restrain or control. 

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

  • 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. 

strengthen

verb
  • To reinforce, to add to, to support (someone or something) 

  • To make strong or stronger; to add strength to; to increase the strength of; to fortify. 

  • To empower; to give moral strength to; to encourage; to enhearten. 

  • To grow strong or stronger. 

  • To substantiate; to corroborate (a belief, argument, etc.) 

  • To augment; to improve; to intensify. 

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