curtail
1 Americanverb (used with object)
noun
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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
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curtailsimple
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curtailssimple
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have curtailedperfect
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has curtailedperfect
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am curtailingprogressive
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are curtailingprogressive
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is curtailingprogressive
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have been curtailingperfect progressive
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has been curtailingperfect progressive
Past
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curtailedsimple
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had curtailedperfect
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was curtailingprogressive
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were curtailingprogressive
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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"
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30 GRE Words Beginning with "B" & "C"
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This Week in Words: Feb. 25 - Mar. 2, 2018
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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:
Having medical-directive documents can provide guidance and curtail infighting between siblings over what Mom or Dad would want.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Credit-card companies have the right to curtail your credit limit for reasons that have nothing to do with you.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
Johnson said the bill was meant to curtail malicious records requests, which do happen, where a citizen goes after copious amounts of records just to be a jerk and cost the government time and money.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
Alternative producers should curtail supply to prevent a glut as the Gulf revs back up.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
By submitting guests to a mild form of the distemper, which should last for some few weeks, he might greatly curtail the mortality of his acquaintance and their households.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
“We must also be very clear that any response to these abhorrent attacks that curtails our civil liberties would be wrong,” said Green Party leader Zack Polanski, who is Jewish.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
The president signed an executive order on Friday that further curtails Havana’s access to the global banking system.
From Barron's ● May 1, 2026
But Green Party leader Zack Polanski has said it would be wrong if Wednesday's "abhorrent" attack "curtails our civil liberties".
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026
This hits the economy in two ways: boosting inflation and dampening disposable income which curtails growth.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 2, 2026
"A roof gives no protection against rain except with curtains, and even when without them it curtails the view."
From My Friend the Chauffeur by Lowenheim, Frederic
Appearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee, Hegseth said military training would have to be curtailed unless lawmakers approved an urgent funding boost.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
It severely curtailed the ability of a president to quickly remove Federal Reserve officials, and thereby exert its influence over monetary policy, and reinforced the deference due to the independence of the central bank.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
Do that enough, and climate change could be curtailed without upending the world as we know it.
From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026
Ships coming out of the Strait of Hormuz can take weeks or months to reach their destinations, particularly in Asia, where demand has been curtailed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
Criminals’ rights were curtailed and stricter sentencing guidelines put in place.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
MLS’s developmental programs are too restrictive and exclusive — they’re not developing more soccer players, they’re curtailing who can play.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 28, 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
That trade involved a shift out of currencies and into gold, silver and bitcoin on worries that governments are spending more and not curtailing debt.
From MarketWatch ● May 28, 2026
Chief Executive Bruce Bodine said business conditions were volatile in the first quarter, and that the company responded by curtailing uneconomic production, managing working capital and using its market access to meet customer demand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026
It would be for her a well-spring from which she would draw the most destructive emotions, deceiving the lover and seeking to imprison the beloved, curtailing freedom in every way.
From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
Definitions 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.
