entail

[ verb en-teyl; noun en-teyl, en-teyl ]
See synonyms for: entailentailedentailingentails on Thesaurus.com

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.

  1. 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.

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

noun
  1. the act of entailing.

  2. Law. the state of being entailed.

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

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

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

Origin of entail

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

Other words from entail

  • en·tail·er, noun
  • en·tail·ment, noun
  • pre·en·tail, verb (used with object)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use entail in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for entail

entail

/ (ɪnˈteɪl) /


verb(tr)
  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

  1. logic to have as a necessary consequence

noun
  1. property law

    • the restriction imposed by entailing an estate

    • an estate that has been entailed

Origin of entail

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

Derived forms of entail

  • entailer, noun

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