curate

American  

[kyoor-it, kyoo-reyt, kyoor-eyt] / ˈkyʊər ɪt, kyʊˈreɪt, ˈkyʊər eɪt /

noun

1. Chiefly British. a member of the clergy employed to assist a rector or vicar.

2. any ecclesiastic entrusted with the cure of souls, as a parish priest.

---

verb (used with object)

curated, curating

1. to take charge of (a museum) or organize (an art exhibit).

   to curate a photography show.

2. to pull together, sift through, and select for presentation, as music or website content.

   “We curate our merchandise with a sharp eye for trending fashion,” the store manager explained.

curate ¹ British  

/ ˈkjʊərɪt /

noun

1. a clergyman appointed to assist a parish priest

2. a clergyman who has the charge of a parish ( curate-in-charge )

3. an assistant barman

---

curate ² British  

/ kjʊəˈreɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to be in charge of (an art exhibition or museum)

---

Other Word Forms

• curateship noun
• curatic adjective
• curatical adjective
• curation noun
• subcurate noun

Etymology

Origin of curate

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English curat, from Anglo-French or directly from Medieval Latin cūrātus, equivalent to Latin cūr(a) “care” + -ātus -ate ¹

Example Sentences

"The power in this type of study is the ability to curate a particular population of interest -- in this case, patients who are colorblind who develop bladder cancer or colorectal cancer," Rahimy said.

From Science Daily • Mar. 10, 2026

I revamped my Goodreads account to curate a new list.

From Slate • Mar. 8, 2026

"I want to continue to self fund and self curate my own music."

From BBC • Jan. 21, 2026

“It just transports you,” Sanchez says of his love of the Mustang, adding that he first became aware of “American Icon” on a recent trip to mid-Wilshire’s Petersen Automotive Museum, which helped curate the exhibition.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 19, 2025

The Tonist curate showed defiance rather than fear.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman