curtail
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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curtails,
present (3rd person singular)
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curtailed,
past participle, past
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curtailing
present participle
noun
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a horizontal, spiral termination to the lower end of a stair railing.
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Also called curtail step. a starting step having a scroll termination to one or both ends of the tread.
verb
Synonym Usage
See shorten.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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curtailsimple
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curtailssimple
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have curtailedperfect
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has curtailedperfect
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am curtailingprogressive
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are curtailingprogressive
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is curtailingprogressive
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have been curtailingperfect progressive
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has been curtailingperfect progressive
Past
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curtailedsimple
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had curtailedperfect
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was curtailingprogressive
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were curtailingprogressive
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had been curtailingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of curtail1
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English curtailen “to restrict” (said of royal succession or inheritance), probably a conflation of Middle French courtau(l)d ( see curtal) and Middle English taillen “to cut” ( see taille, tailor 1)
Origin of curtail2
Probably alteration, by folk etymology, of curtal
Explanation
To curtail something is to slow it down, put restrictions on it, or stop it entirely. If I give up cake, I am curtailing my cake-eating. Curtail is an official-sounding word for stopping or slowing things down. The police try to curtail crime — they want there to be less crime in the world. A company may want to curtail their employees' computer time, so they spend more time working and less time goofing around. Teachers try to curtail whispering and note-passing in class. When something is curtailed, it's either stopped entirely or stopped quite a bit — it's cut short.
Vocabulary lists containing curtail
100 SAT words Beginning with "C"
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30 GRE Words Beginning with "B" & "C"
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This Week in Words: Feb. 25 - Mar. 2, 2018
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Swiatek's decision to curtail her 2026 campaign was not a surprise once she withdrew from Ningbo.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
Executive adviser Flavio Briatore, who has caused controversy off track this weekend, persuaded Renault to curtail their F1 engine programme at the end of last year and switch to customer Mercedes power-units.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
The forecasts failed to account for other ways to get oil out of the Persian Gulf, or how much China would curtail its oil imports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Paramount and other groups, including cinema chain owners and some Hollywood unions, have agitated for a settlement to curtail months of uncertainty over whether the deal will go through.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
To curtail Caesar’s annoying interrogations, Lumbly quickly unhooked the boxcar door and slid it wide.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
“The continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupts international supply chains and curtails product availability,” the agency said in its closely watched monthly report on Wednesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
This hits the economy in two ways: boosting inflation and dampening disposable income which curtails growth.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 2, 2026
A wider or protracted conflict in the Middle East that curtails oil flow is certainly a risk.
From Barron's ● Mar. 4, 2026
Moreover, the huge loss in revenue limits the federal government’s capacity to carry out key work and curtails investments in lifesaving programs.
From Slate ● Mar. 25, 2024
The principal defect in persons of fortunate lot is to care for nobody but themselves; this curtails the excitements of life, and makes everything dwindle as the end approaches.
From Moral Science; a Compendium of Ethics by Alexander Bain
Last winter, 47 natural gas pipelines restricted or curtailed supply to manufacturers, resulting in significant economic costs and disruption to U.S. supply chains.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
They also want the court to assert oversight, determining how much pumping should be curtailed and requiring the state to develop a long-term plan under its supervision.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
Rations were further curtailed in 2008, when reformist ex-president Raul Castro eliminated what he called "undue subsidies and freebies" such as cigars, toothpaste and oil.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
"We will not let ourselves be intimidated, and we will not sit by when rights are curtailed either here or for people in the state," she said.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Every possibility of excess was curtailed with it.
From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
Has the time come for the Dodgers to consider curtailing his pitching?
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
As well as curtailing its coverage, RTE will not take advertising or sponsorship income from the matches, saying it will only "meet its contractual obligations" to broadcast the fixtures.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
Navy warships from passing through the Strait of Hormuz as part of an agreement to reopen the waterway, pressing its goal of curtailing America’s decades-old military presence in the Persian Gulf.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
Part of the problem with curtailing risk in a retirement plan is that Americans are living longer, and their portfolios need to last their entire life.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
Poor child, she was bewildered by the many injunctions we laid upon her, and the curtailing of her freedom tried her sorely, though not a word of complaint came from her.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
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