curtailment
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of curtailment
Explanation
A curtailment is an ending or restriction. The curtailment of your allowance means you'll have to get a job if you want to keep buying new video games. The noun curtailment is a somewhat formal way to say "limitation." It comes from the Old French court, "short," and a root meaning "to cut." You can think of a curtailment as cutting something short, whether it's the curtailment of your bike riding once the temperature drops in the fall, or the curtailment of your driving privileges after you get into a fender-bender.
Vocabulary lists containing curtailment
Franklin D. Roosevelt's First Inaugural Address (March 4, 1933), List 1
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!
Vocabulary from Readings 4, Unit 2
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!
Vocabulary from Readings 6, Unit 4
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.
Singh said it can help limit the amount of "curtailment" -- the practice of reducing certain types of electricity because the grid cannot handle it.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
The abrupt curtailment had taken South Korea by surprise, the country’s foreign minister told lawmakers Wednesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Energy-guzzling server farms could also help solve renewables' issue of curtailment, or the over-production of energy.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
"I think once he got that curtailment letter, he thought there's no way out, they're telling me to leave, I need to do something."
From BBC ● Apr. 16, 2026
He said the wastrie of the past three or four months was unbelievable, and it had to be made up by a steady curtailment of all household expenses.
From A Reconstructed Marriage by Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr
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.
