entail

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

/ verb ɛnˈteɪl; noun ɛnˈteɪl, ˈɛn teɪl /

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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.

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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)

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

How to use entail in a sentence

In fact, that candy store is heavy industry, with all the mess that entails.
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These entrepreneurs have chosen to incorporate as private businesses, with all the legal rights and privileges that entails.
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The joint venture entails Corgenix migrating the rapid diagnostic tests into a handheld device designed by Nanomix.
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But this still entails booking the entire plane at the lower rate.
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Hitchens is admirably honest about the cost his prescription entails.
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They feel that the system has few advantages to offer in return for the cost it entails upon them.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
First, Covenanting entails obligation even on the unbeliever who vows and swears.
The Ordinance of Covenanting|John Cunningham
Nature seems still to wish to keep the young and blushing girl apart from that connection which entails grave and arduous duties.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness|Florence Hartley
But how does the matter stand when there is genius on both sides, and self-sacrifice of either party entails loss to the world?
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Moreover, I was appointed to it without having to undergo the painful ceremonies that initiation entails.
The Adventures of Louis de Rougemont|Louis de Rougemont

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 related to entail

How to use entail in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for entail

Derived forms of entail

Word Origin for entail