entail

1 of 2

verb

en·​tail in-ˈtāl How to pronounce entail (audio)
en-
entailed; entailing; entails

transitive verb

1
: to impose, involve, or imply as a necessary accompaniment or result
the project will entail considerable expense
2
: to restrict (property) by limiting the inheritance to the owner's lineal descendants or to a particular class thereof
3
a
: to confer, assign, or transmit (something) for an indefinitely long time : to confer, assign, or transmit as if by entail
entailed on them indelible disgraceRobert Browning
b
: to fix (a person) permanently in some condition or status
entail him and his heirs unto the crownWilliam Shakespeare
entailer noun

entail

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: a restriction especially of lands by limiting the inheritance to the owner's lineal descendants or to a particular class thereof
b
: an entailed (see entail entry 1 sense 2) estate
2
: something transmitted as if by entail

Examples of entail in a Sentence

Verb Pregnancy involves the bodily dependence of the unborn child on its mother; in many cases, it entails a significant physical burden. Cathleen Kaveny, Commonweal, 4 May 2007
… it was a Master Highlighter Event, a two-day guest appearance by one of Kinkade's specially trained assistants, who would highlight any picture bought during the event for free. Highlighting a picture is not that different from highlighting your hair: it entails stippling tiny bright dots of paint on the picture to give it more texture and luminescence. Susan Orlean, New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2001
Life is a difficult and complicated enterprise. It entails joy but also suffering, gain but also loss, hope but also despair. Neal Gabler, Life: The Movie, 1998
Discourse is a social as well as an intellectual activity; it entails interaction between minds, and it revolves around something possessed in common. David A. Hollinger, In the American Province, (1985) 1992
He accepted the responsibility, with all that it entails. a lavish wedding entails extensive planning and often staggering expense
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Empathetic listening, however, entails stopping, absorbing what the other person is saying and then reflecting back both the emotional undertones and the content. Nirmal Chhabria, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024 Brazil’s quest to bring to justice those involved in the uprising has so far entailed more than two dozen phases, and hundreds of arrests targeting those who ransacked government buildings, and incited or financed the episode. Eléonore Hughes and David Biller, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024 The work also entailed installing a passenger door, a wraparound windshield, side screens, and a basic folding top made of canvas. Howard Walker, Robb Report, 14 Oct. 2024 However, wooing the superpower increasingly entails its own costs. Charlie Campbell / Jakarta, TIME, 14 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for entail 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'entail.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English entailen, entaillen, from en- entry 1 + taile, taille limitation — more at tail entry 4

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of entail was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near entail

Cite this Entry

“Entail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/entail. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

entail

1 of 2 verb
en·​tail in-ˈtā(ə)l How to pronounce entail (audio)
1
: to limit the inheritance of (property) to the owner's direct descendants or to a certain group of them
2
: to have as a necessary part or result
the essay entails a lot of research
entailment noun

entail

2 of 2 noun
1
a
: an entailing of property
b
: an entailed estate
2
: the rule fixing descent by entailment

Legal Definition

entail

1 of 2 transitive verb
en·​tail in-ˈtāl How to pronounce entail (audio)
: to make (an estate in real property) a fee tail : limit the descent of (real property) by restricting inheritance to specific descendants who cannot convey or transfer the property
estates are entailed entire on the eldest male heirBenjamin Franklin
entailment noun

entail

2 of 2 noun
1
: an act or instance of entailing real property
also : the practice of entailing property
the repeal of the laws of entail would prevent the accumulation and perpetuation of wealth in select families Thomas Jefferson
see also De Donis Conditionalibus
2
: an entailed estate in real property
if entails had not become barrableEileen Spring
3
: the fixed line of descent of an entailed estate
Etymology

Transitive verb

Middle English entaillen, from en-, causative prefix + taille restriction on inheritance see tail

More from Merriam-Webster on entail

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!