curator

1 of 2

noun (1)

cu·​ra·​tor ˈkyu̇r-ˌā-tər 

ˈkyər-;

kyu̇-ˈrā- 

ˈkyu̇r-ə-, 

ˈkyər-

plural curators

: a person who oversees or manages a place (such as a museum or zoo) that offers exhibits

"My passion for animal care and collection management really drove me to become a curator."

—Scott Newland

also : a person at a museum, zoo, etc. who is in charge of a specific collection or subject area

the curator of manuscripts

curatorial

ˌkyu̇r-ə-ˈtȯr-ē-əl 

ˌkyər-

adjective

curatorship

ˈkyu̇r-ˌā-tər-ˌship 

ˈkyər-;

kyu̇-ˈrā-;

ˈkyu̇r-ə-, 

ˈkyər-

noun

curatorship

2 of 2

noun (2)

cu·​ra·​tor·​ship ˈkyu̇r-ˌā-tər-ship 

ˈkyər-, 

-ə-tər;

kyu̇-ˈrā-

plural -s

: the office, position, duties, or jurisdiction of a curator

appointed a new man to the curatorship of the museum

fulfilled his curatorship with efficiency and care

the curatorship of the international committee extended over the disputed territory

Did you know?

In a good-sized art museum, each curator is generally responsible for a single department or collection: European painting, Asian sculpture, Native American art, and so on. Curatorial duties include acquiring new artworks, caring for and repairing objects already owned, discovering frauds and counterfeits, lending artworks to other museums, and mounting exhibitions of everything from Greek sculpture to 20th-century clothing.

Examples of curator in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Previous roles include those of adjunct curator of Latin American art at Tate, London (2012–15) and curator of Singapore’s LARA collection (2012–20). —News Desk, Artforum, 17 June 2026

The participants will follow a two-month hybrid program, both online and on-site during the Locarno Film Festival, mentored by producer Fibby Kioria from Kenya and curator, producer, arts manager and consultant Mitchell Harper from South Africa. —Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 17 June 2026

Rather than competing directly with luxury brands on scale or marketing spend, Printemps is positioning itself as a curator to identify emerging talent and quality of craftsmanship that is good value for money — no matter the price point. —Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 17 June 2026

But as the curator of this year’s Meltdown Festival, Styles took the opportunity to completely reimagine his music with conductor Jules Buckley and his 50-piece orchestra — and the result left fans awestruck. —Ellise Shafer, Variety, 17 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

borrowed from Latin cūrātor "one who looks after, superintendent, guardian," from cūrāre "to watch over, attend" + -tor, agent suffix — more at cure entry 2

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1660, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing curator

• co-curator

Rhymes for curator

• creator
• debater
• deflator
• dictator
• dilator
• equator
• locator
• piscator
• pronator
• relator
• rotator
• testator

Kids Definition

curator

noun

cu·​ra·​tor ˈkyu̇(ə)r-ˌāt-ər  kyu̇-ˈrāt- 

ˈkyu̇r-ət-

: a person in charge of a museum or zoo

curatorship

-ˌship 

noun

Legal Definition

curator

noun

cu·​ra·​tor ˈkyu̇r-ˌā-tər, kyu̇-ˈrā-tər 

in the civil law of Louisiana : a person appointed by a court to care for the property of an absent person or to care for the person or property of someone mentally incapable of doing so compare committee, conservator, guardian, interdict, tutor

curatorship noun

Etymology

Noun

Latin, guardian, from curare to take care of