entail

American  

[en-teyl, en-teyl, en-teyl] / ɛnˈteɪl, ɛnˈteɪl, ˈɛn teɪl /

verb (used with object)

entails, present (3rd person singular) entailed, past participle, past entailing present participle

1. to cause or involve by necessity or as a consequence.

   a loss entailing no regret.

2. to impose as a burden.

   Success entails hard work.

3. Law. to limit the passage of (real estate) to a specified line of heirs, so that it cannot be transferred or bequeathed to anyone else.

4. Law. to cause (anything) to descend to a fixed series of possessors.

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noun

1. the act of entailing.

2. Law. the state of being entailed.

3. any predetermined order of succession, as to an office.

4. Law. something that is entailed, as an estate.

5. Law. the rule of descent settled for an estate.

entail British  

/ ɪnˈteɪl /

verb

1. to bring about or impose by necessity; have as a necessary consequence

   this task entails careful thought

2. property law to restrict (the descent of an estate) to a designated line of heirs

3. logic to have as a necessary consequence

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noun

1. property law

   1. the restriction imposed by entailing an estate

   2. an estate that has been entailed

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• entailer
  noun
• entailment
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• entailing
  present
• entailed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• entail
  simple
• entails
  simple
• have entailed
  perfect
• has entailed
  perfect
• am entailing
  progressive
• are entailing
  progressive
• is entailing
  progressive
• have been entailing
  perfect progressive
• has been entailing
  perfect progressive

Past

• entailed
  simple
• had entailed
  perfect
• was entailing
  progressive
• were entailing
  progressive
• had been entailing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will entail
  simple
• will have entailed
  perfect
• will be entailing
  progressive
• will have been entailing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of entail

First recorded in 1350–1400; from Middle English entailen (verb), entail (noun), equivalent to en- ¹ + tail ² ( def. )

Explanation

To entail is to involve. A job at a movie theater might entail sweeping popcorn off the floor, probably because watching a movie entails eating popcorn in the dark. It’s a small price to pay! The word entail, which comes from Latin, is connected to the idea of preconditions. If you want something, you better figure out what it entails. If it’s only 8 o’clock and you want to see a movie at 9, that will entail waiting for an hour. If you want to stay out of trouble, that will entail calling your parents and letting them know you're going to be late. That’s what being responsible entails!

Example Sentences

Such claims also require medical reports and paper trails and may entail an uphill struggle to prove malicious intent.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 17, 2026

Essentially, such an economy would entail getting people and cargo to the moon and Mars, something that would need to be a regular occurrence for a true economy to develop around it.

From BBC • Jun. 12, 2026

The conclusion "does not entail any determination on the precise content, scope or conditions for the exercise of that right", said Iwasawa.

From Barron's • May 21, 2026

Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe, co-stars of Starz’s historical romance fantasy series, spoke about filming the show’s last season, what the finale could entail and how fans might respond.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

In Virginia, however, laws abolishing primogeniture and entail had been passed during the Revolution.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

• bring about
• call for
• encompass
• involve
• lead to
• necessitate
• require