curtail
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
curtails,
present (3rd person singular)
-
curtailed,
past participle, past
-
curtailing
present participle
noun
-
a horizontal, spiral termination to the lower end of a stair railing.
-
Also called curtail step. a starting step having a scroll termination to one or both ends of the tread.
verb
Synonym Usage
See shorten.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
curtailsimple
-
curtailssimple
-
have curtailedperfect
-
has curtailedperfect
-
am curtailingprogressive
-
are curtailingprogressive
-
is curtailingprogressive
-
have been curtailingperfect progressive
-
has been curtailingperfect progressive
Past
-
curtailedsimple
-
had curtailedperfect
-
was curtailingprogressive
-
were curtailingprogressive
-
had been curtailingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of curtail1
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English curtailen “to restrict” (said of royal succession or inheritance), probably a conflation of Middle French courtau(l)d ( see curtal) and Middle English taillen “to cut” ( see taille, tailor 1)
Origin of curtail2
Probably alteration, by folk etymology, of curtal
Explanation
To curtail something is to slow it down, put restrictions on it, or stop it entirely. If I give up cake, I am curtailing my cake-eating. Curtail is an official-sounding word for stopping or slowing things down. The police try to curtail crime — they want there to be less crime in the world. A company may want to curtail their employees' computer time, so they spend more time working and less time goofing around. Teachers try to curtail whispering and note-passing in class. When something is curtailed, it's either stopped entirely or stopped quite a bit — it's cut short.
Vocabulary lists containing curtail
100 SAT words Beginning with "C"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
30 GRE Words Beginning with "B" & "C"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
This Week in Words: Feb. 25 - Mar. 2, 2018
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Swiatek's decision to curtail her 2026 campaign was not a surprise once she withdrew from Ningbo.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
GM resurrected its beloved Chevrolet Bolt earlier this year but decided to curtail production to one shift instead of two, and will phase the vehicle out in 2027 to make way for gas-powered vehicles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
Executive adviser Flavio Briatore, who has caused controversy off track this weekend, persuaded Renault to curtail their F1 engine programme at the end of last year and switch to customer Mercedes power-units.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
Paramount and other groups, including cinema chain owners and some Hollywood unions, have agitated for a settlement to curtail months of uncertainty over whether the deal will go through.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
It will broaden his experience in some ways, but it will also curtail his contact with clients.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
“The continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupts international supply chains and curtails product availability,” the agency said in its closely watched monthly report on Wednesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
This hits the economy in two ways: boosting inflation and dampening disposable income which curtails growth.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 2, 2026
A wider or protracted conflict in the Middle East that curtails oil flow is certainly a risk.
From Barron's ● Mar. 4, 2026
Moreover, the huge loss in revenue limits the federal government’s capacity to carry out key work and curtails investments in lifesaving programs.
From Slate ● Mar. 25, 2024
The eighteenth expands or curtails this, but originates nothing.
From The Origins and Destiny of Imperial Britain Nineteenth Century Europe by J. A. (John Adam) Cramb
But the bank did report growth in commercial-lending and consumer-loan activity, a sign that the recent surge in bond yields and the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hike curtailed demand for borrowing.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
Rations were further curtailed in 2008, when reformist ex-president Raul Castro eliminated what he called "undue subsidies and freebies" such as cigars, toothpaste and oil.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
A Houthi missile targeted an area north of Riyadh and a developing storm has also curtailed some U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Jaissle refused to give up, and "kept the dream for a lot longer than the doctors did", but the setback ultimately curtailed his career and he retired a few years later in 2014.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
By choice I do not consult the movie ratings of the Legion of Decency, and my reading is not curtailed by the Index.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
Navy warships from passing through the Strait of Hormuz as part of an agreement to reopen the waterway, pressing its goal of curtailing America’s decades-old military presence in the Persian Gulf.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
Part of the problem with curtailing risk in a retirement plan is that Americans are living longer, and their portfolios need to last their entire life.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
"We have people who are capable of curtailing such a situation."
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
One cloud on the horizon is the possible impact of rising fuel costs, which could end up curtailing Europeans' foreign travel.
From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026
Poor child, she was bewildered by the many injunctions we laid upon her, and the curtailing of her freedom tried her sorely, though not a word of complaint came from her.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
