entail

American  

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

verb (used with object)

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

• entailer noun
• entailment noun
• preentail verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of entail

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

Example Sentences

Talks around what kind of compromise that could entail have effectively been put on hold until the yield issue is resolved.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

Short-term bond funds, such as those run by Vanguard, are paying 4% or more right now and entail relatively little inflation or interest-rate risk.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026

In a message to supporters, it announced that it was pushing back the deadline for season ticket renewals so that fans could have “full clarity” on what the 2026-27 might entail.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

In the case of Iran that would entail deploying 1.9 million people — almost all the U.S. military’s active duty, reserve and National Guard personnel.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026

Stephen, how do we know what the ultimate good of Humanity will entail?

From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov

Related Words

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