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Synonyms

curtail

1 American  
[ker-teyl] / kərˈteɪl /

verb (used with object)

  1. to cut short; cut off a part of; abridge; reduce; diminish.

    Synonyms:
    dock, lessen
curtail 2 American  
[kur-teyl] / ˈkɜrˌteɪl /

noun

Architecture.

  1. a horizontal, spiral termination to the lower end of a stair railing.

  2. Also called curtail step.  a starting step having a scroll termination to one or both ends of the tread.

curtail British  
/ kɜːˈteɪl /

verb

  1. (tr) to cut short; abridge

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See shorten.

Other Word Forms

  • curtailedly adverb
  • curtailer noun
  • curtailment noun
  • noncurtailing adjective
  • uncurtailed adjective

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 ( curtal ) and Middle English taillen “to cut” ( taille, tailor 1 )

Origin of curtail2

Probably alteration, by folk etymology, of curtal

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.

Yara has limited direct exposure to the region, but has been affected by rising freight and natural-gas costs and had to curtail production at a plant in India because it didn’t have gas, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

When the extension cords running to the back popped the circuit breakers, repeatedly, he tried to curtail electricity usage in the camp.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

For years, nutrition scientists, food-policy researchers and public-health advocates have called for a definition of UPFs, along with policy changes that could help curtail their presence in our food supply.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 23, 2026

The article illustrated Wiles' approach to working with Trump's personality and instincts, rather than trying to curtail them, as some chiefs of staff from Trump's first term attempted to do.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 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

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.