entail

[ verb en-teyl; noun en-teyl, en-teyl ]

/ verb ɛnˈteɪl; noun ɛnˈteɪl, ˈɛn teɪl /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: entail / entailed / entailing / entails on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to cause or involve by necessity or as a consequence: a loss entailing no regret.

to impose as a burden: Success entails hard work.

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.

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

noun

the act of entailing.

Law. the state of being entailed.

any predetermined order of succession, as to an office.

Law. something that is entailed, as an estate.

Law. the rule of descent settled for an estate.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of entail

First recorded in 1350–1400; from Middle English entailen (verb), entail (noun), equivalent to en-¹ + tail²

OTHER WORDS FROM entail

en·tail·er, nounen·tail·ment, nounpre·en·tail, verb (used with object)

Words nearby entail

ensure, enswathe, ENT, entablature, entablement, entail, entailed, entailment, entameba, entamoeba, entangle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use entail in a sentence

With this news, what buckling down entails has changed for you, awfully — but the underlying task of doing what is necessary and available to you has not changed.
Carolyn Hax: Should you really let go of gratitude during tough times?|Carolyn Hax|June 24, 2021|Washington Post
Does political and social equality really have to entail a leveling of sexual difference?
How Straight World Stole ‘Gay’: The Last Gasp of the ‘Lumbersexual’|Tim Teeman|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some parents have transportation problems that entail further costs.
The Doctor’s Note Must Die!|Russell Saunders|September 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Foley was a risk taker who reported from the front lines, fully aware of the dangers that might entail.
Medieval Cruelty in Modern Times: ISIS Thugs Behead American Journalist|Christopher Dickey|August 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

He or she can work with you to map out an individualized plan, which may entail taking the hormone melatonin.
Can Changing Time Zones Affect Your Health?|DailyBurn|June 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Exactly what his appointments entail, and how much he can charge clients, often depends on the city.
Sex, Power, and Desire: The Life of America’s Next Top Escort|Scott Bixby|March 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Personal and Social Covenanting both entail obligation on the Covenanting parties.
The Ordinance of Covenanting|John Cunningham
But men also humiliate us, degrade us, jeer at, ridicule the miseries that they and their society entail upon us.
The Daughters of Danaus|Mona Caird
The mention by Hogarth of Ridley and Latimer they considered irrelevant; their fathers' heroic mood was a detail: not an entail.
The Lord of the Sea|M. P. Shiel
He hadn't been specific about what the "or else" would entail.
Sense from Thought Divide|Mark Irvin Clifton
It cannot, Sir Wycherly; nor with a will, so long as an heir of entail can be found.
The Two Admirals|J. Fenimore Cooper

British Dictionary definitions for entail

entail

/ (ɪnˈteɪl) /

verb (tr)

to bring about or impose by necessity; have as a necessary consequencethis task entails careful thought

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

logic to have as a necessary consequence

noun

property law

the restriction imposed by entailing an estate
an estate that has been entailed

Derived forms of entail

entailer, noun

Word Origin for entail

C14: entaillen, from en- 1 + taille limitation, tail ²

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

entail

Origin of entail

OTHER WORDS FROM entail

Words nearby entail

Words related to entail

How to use entail in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for entail

Derived forms of entail

Word Origin for entail