entail
Americanverb (used with object)
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entails,
present (3rd person singular)
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entailed,
past participle, past
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entailing
present participle
-
to cause or involve by necessity or as a consequence.
a loss entailing no regret.
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to impose as a burden.
Success entails hard work.
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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.
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Law. to cause (anything) to descend to a fixed series of possessors.
noun
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the act of entailing.
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Law. the state of being entailed.
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any predetermined order of succession, as to an office.
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Law. something that is entailed, as an estate.
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Law. the rule of descent settled for an estate.
verb
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to bring about or impose by necessity; have as a necessary consequence
this task entails careful thought
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property law to restrict (the descent of an estate) to a designated line of heirs
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logic to have as a necessary consequence
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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entailsimple
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entailssimple
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have entailedperfect
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has entailedperfect
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am entailingprogressive
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are entailingprogressive
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is entailingprogressive
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have been entailingperfect progressive
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has been entailingperfect progressive
Past
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entailedsimple
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had entailedperfect
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was entailingprogressive
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were entailingprogressive
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had been entailingperfect progressive
Future
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!
Vocabulary lists containing entail
List 7
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Capex can entail making strategic equity investments, expanding the ecosystem that drives demand for a company’s own products.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
But the longer bonds do entail more volatility.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
It is unclear what exactly a ban would entail, and whether employees of those outlets would be prevented from entering the White House grounds.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Omishakin said it is too soon to say how much California will invest in the effort, or how many chargers it will ultimately entail, although the number is probably in the hundreds if not higher.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
"Run us through it, Venkat. What would it entail?"
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
But Oman hasn’t confirmed a deal, and Iranian officials have offered contradictory statements on what it entails.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
That’s what his seeming break with longevity actually entails: an overhaul of his life’s mission away from “lifemaxxing” toward more specific goals like curing the incurable.
From Slate ● Jul. 31, 2026
Another ruse is called ghost booking, which entails an employee booking conference rooms or workstations online to suggest they are in the office.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
"Parents and children now face an increased wait for these results, with all the anxiety this entails, through no fault of their own," he added.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
Creating a sound carpet entails taking a story and adding sound effects, leitmotifs, instruments, vocal sounds, body percussion, and actors and/or a narrator, in order to bring literature to life.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s armed forces had received appropriate orders, although he did not specify what those instructions entailed.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
The trips entailed hotel stays because he couldn’t manage the round-trip drive in a day.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
That entailed frequent calls to a large language model.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
For Morris, stepping into the shoes of a Black journalist working during the Great Depression and in a still segregated reality entailed meaningful research.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
I knew it was the call to prayer, but I didn’t know what it entailed.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
In recent years, a couple of local districts have rolled out pilot programs entailing the release of sterile male mosquitoes to drive the population down, a relatively new approach to tackling these mosquitoes.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2025
Xiong Lee’s path to shamanism has been arduous, entailing rigorous training with a shaman mentor to learn how to communicate with the spirit world.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 25, 2023
So, the fuel needs a larger percentage of this isotope, entailing higher uranium-235 enrichment than the 4 percent enriched LEU typically used in nuclear power plants.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 20, 2023
Action taken: In May, Casino started court-backed talks with creditors; in June, it asked interested parties to table offers entailing at least 900 million euros of new money to fund a relaunch.
From Reuters ● Jul. 18, 2023
There are videos about the importance and difference of treble and bass clefs; there is a list of music terms and what they mean, and the site even contains videos entailing the transposition of music.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
