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
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Vocabulary from Readings 4, Unit 2
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Vocabulary from Readings 6, Unit 4
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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.
"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
Still, Chambriard said, the curtailment of prolific oilfields lining the Persian Gulf raises the prospect of extended supply issues.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026
The officially reported curtailment rate for late 2024 was 3.2%.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 21, 2026
Mr Paddick says he has seen "a curtailment of charitable giving".
From BBC • Nov. 26, 2025
The present mansion, though a large and magnificent structure, consists only of a small part of the original building, owing to its curtailment at various times.
From Curiosities of Great Britain: England and Wales Delineated Vol.1-11 Historical, Entertaining & Commercial; Alphabetically Arranged. 11 Volume set. by Dugdale, Thomas Cantrell
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.
