curate

American  

[kyoor-it, kyoo-rayt, kyoor-ayt] / ˈkjʊər ɪt, kjʊˈreɪt, ˈkjʊər 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.

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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

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curate ² British  

/ kjʊəˈreɪt /

verb

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

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Other Word Forms

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

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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

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Explanation

When you curate something, you organize and present it. If you work for a museum, you might curate an exhibit of abstract sculpture. The noun curate originally referred to anyone taking care of church property in some way. Nowadays, the noun generally refers to a person with religious training who conducts religious services. Curate comes from the word cure, and a curate is supposed to cure that most important part of you — your soul. When you curate a museum exhibit — or a selection of 1980s fashion for your retro blog — you care for or manage it just as a curate cares for a parish.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

curate curated curating

It’s good for me that I could put on my hat for putting out other people’s music and then go back and DJ and curate music that way too.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

Spence said he spent a lot of time working with the arranger to choose the music, curate and trim the showcase.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

Smartphones have fooled us into thinking that we curate what our screens show us.

From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026

Like the Brontës, the Draydens are the eccentric daughters of a widowed curate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

He took a step closer, the curate still held tightly in his grip.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

They eat specially curated dinners, strut around in breeders’ shows and often rule over their owners like whiskered tyrants.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

And when I emailed a wedding photographer whose Instagram feed seemed perfectly curated to how I envision our special day, he quoted me $30,000 for a starter package.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

Last month, the AI-assistant startup Instinct announced that it was rolling out curated product and travel recommendations.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

Their flagship products are seemingly curated for duffers, not people making decisions in the world who need the news when it’s news.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

She stepped, sideways, into the next gallery over, a special curated exhibit on the theme of Madonna and Child.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

Countless others have stories of being confronted by social media content they didn't seek out, and didn't want to see – and there's long been suspicions the algorithms curating these platforms are harming users.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

During a panel about the relationship between fashion and food, Onwuachi discussed curating the menu for the 2025 MET Gala, whose theme was “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.”

From Salon ● Sep. 1, 2026

Coldplay's Chris Martin is curating the extravaganza, a first for a football World Cup final and one that has raised concerns over how long the game's halftime break will be.

From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026

The company said it plans to focus on leveraging its retail model and curating product portfolios and experiences to meet the needs of high-income consumers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

“This is curating a backdrop for a legal showdown that may surely come,” Goodwin said.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2026

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