curator

American  

[kyoo-rey-ter, kyoor-ey-, kyoor-uh-ter] / kjʊˈreɪ tər, ˈkjʊər eɪ-, ˈkjʊər ə tər /

noun

• curators
  plural

1. the person in charge of a museum, art collection, etc.

2. a person who selects content for presentation, as on a website.

3. a manager; superintendent.

4. Law. a guardian of a minor or any other person who is unable to care for their own affairs, especially with regard to their property.

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curator British  

/ ˌkjʊərəˈtɔːrɪəl, kjʊəˈreɪtə /

noun

1. the administrative head of a museum, art gallery, or similar institution

2. law a guardian of a minor, mentally ill person, etc

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• curatorship
  noun
• subcurator
  noun
• subcuratorship
  noun
• curatorial
  adjective
• subcuratorial
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• curators
  plural

Etymology

Origin of curator

First recorded in 1325–75; from Latin, equivalent to cūrā(re) “to care for, attend to” ( see cure) + -tor -tor

Explanation

If you are the curator of the school art show, you choose which pieces will be in it and decide how they will be displayed. A curator is someone who manages an art collection or exhibit. The kind of artwork a curator manages does not have to be the visual kind. You can curate a series of readings by selecting which authors read in it and who reads together. A curator is the person who gives the overall shape and feel to an art exhibit. In law, if you are the curator of someone's estate, you have been given legal power to manage it for someone who is too young or mentally unable to do it themselves.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

curator curators

David Woolcock, curator at Paradise Park, said staff were pleased to be sourcing the fish locally.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

For this imaginative survey, E. Bradley Strauchen-Scherer, curator in the museum’s Department of Musical Instruments, has drawn from 10 of the museum’s curatorial departments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

"We are thrilled that nature delivered such a precious asteroid sample on our doorstep," said curator Denton Ebel.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026

Vietnamese American sisters Vivi and Calla are also a curator and an artist.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

“I see you’ve met the old man!” called a voice from behind me, and I turned to see the curator striding in my direction.

From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs

The distinction matters, because the show’s curators, the Art Institute’s Kevin Salatino and Mel Becker Solomon, have interpreted De Kooning’s lifelong practice of drawing in the broadest possible terms.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

In group shows, Hockney’s paintings won prizes as well as the attention of curators and collectors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

"It's a daunting task," said Abeer Saha, who was one of a handful of curators tasked with choosing from 150 million objects across the Smithsonian -- which runs more than 20 museums and galleries.

From Barron's ● May 29, 2026

Through its two-year initiative, PAM aims to offer a gathering point for artists, scholars and curators alike.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026

The staff still came in: curators, cleaners, maintenance workers.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

Related Words

• administrator
• conservator
• custodian
• director
• manager