curator

American  

[kyoo-rey-ter, kyoor-ey-, kyoor-uh-ter] / kyʊˈreɪ tər, ˈkyʊər eɪ-, ˈkyʊər ə tər /

noun

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

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

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

Ittai told me how he had pieced together that a senior curator at the museum was stealing, and how he had sent his evidence to the museum's leadership in 2021.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

In 1986, he married Yelen, who was then chief curator of education at the New Orleans Museum of Art.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

Dr Paul Davis, palaeontologist and geology curator at Lyme Regis Museum, said that it will help researchers understand how the Jurassic croc hunted in the world's early oceans.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

“Give rattlesnakes at least three to four feet of space, and more for larger individuals,” said Greg Pauly, curator of herpetology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026

From there, he got himself introduced to an assistant curator in a museum.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

Related Words

• administrator
• conservator
• custodian
• director
• manager