curtail
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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curtails,
present (3rd person singular)
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curtailed,
past participle, past
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curtailing
present participle
noun
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a horizontal, spiral termination to the lower end of a stair railing.
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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:
As somebody with roots in musical theater, did you have to curtail some of those instincts that you might’ve had to be a little more expressive?
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
That move may encourage older adults to actually seek out Medicare Advantage to curtail their healthcare costs, analysts said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
Its main tool to achieve this is the economy's key interest rate -- raising rates tends to curtail economic activity and high prices, while lowering them encourages hiring and investment but can also stoke inflation.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
But PJM Interconnection, which manages the grid for about 67 million people across the mid-Atlantic and Midwest, received permission through an Energy Department emergency order to curtail power to data centers and other large customers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
But now I understand the gravity of what I was proposing— that a four-year-old child be watchful, prudent, and shrewd, that I curtail your happiness, that you submit to a loss of time.
From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
“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
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 wider or protracted conflict in the Middle East that curtails oil flow is certainly a risk.
From Barron's ● Mar. 4, 2026
Drayton greatly curtails Chicheley’s legal arguments, and makes him talk like a warrior and a statesman.
From The Battaile of Agincourt by Richard Garnett
Which, as well as posing its own set of unique challenges that curtailed my reporting, is also a bizarre way to treat a victim of a crime.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
Meanwhile, tanker movements through the critical waterway are still curtailed and the global oil market continues to tighten.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
With its warm climate, long beaches and developed tourist infrastructure it is a popular holiday destination for Russians, in particular since sanctions have curtailed international travel for many.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
But so, too, was the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which sharply curtailed the Democratic nominating fight.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026
Mass action was perilous in South Africa, where it was a criminal offense for an African to strike, and where the rights of free speech and movement were unmercifully curtailed.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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
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
The governor has largely resisted adopting new across-the-board tax increases or sharply curtailing his expensive policy proposals in order to align state spending with revenue.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026
California is curtailing a program that offered Medicaid coverage for people living in the U.S. unlawfully.
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.
