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Synonyms

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

curate 2 British  
/ kjʊəˈreɪt /

verb

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It said the company did so through its recommendation algorithms, which are essentially tools that Meta uses to automatically curate the content a user sees on its platforms.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

"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 learned that AI has the power to curate custom workouts to fit my schedule, motivate me when I’m feeling low energy and even correct my form for a better workout.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 4, 2026

As a mere curate, John Hooke was far from wealthy, and he already had two other children, Katherine, born in 1628, and John, born in 1630.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin