curtail

verb

cur·​tail (ˌ)kər-ˈtāl How to pronounce curtail (audio)
curtailed; curtailing; curtails

transitive verb

: to make less by or as if by cutting off or away some part
curtail the power of the executive branch
curtail inflation
Some school activities are being curtailed due to a lack of funds.
curtailer noun
Choose the Right Synonym for curtail

shorten, curtail, abbreviate, abridge, retrench mean to reduce in extent.

shorten implies reduction in length or duration.

shorten a speech

curtail adds an implication of cutting that in some way deprives of completeness or adequacy.

ceremonies curtailed because of rain

abbreviate implies a making shorter usually by omitting some part.

using an abbreviated title

abridge implies a reduction in compass or scope with retention of essential elements and a relative completeness in the result.

the abridged version of the novel

retrench suggests a reduction in extent or costs of something felt to be excessive.

declining business forced the company to retrench

Examples of curtail in a Sentence

The new laws are an effort to curtail illegal drug use. School activities are being curtailed due to a lack of funds.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The overall idea is to avoid abruptly curtailing water for users, but farmers in southern New Mexico have concerns about how much water will be available and who will be able to use it. Preston Fore, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2025 With a goal to curtail their crude import bill, the Indian government has set ambitious targets for adoption of electric vehicles. Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2025 Profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) have curtailed and shaped some signings, particularly those involving separate cross-player transactions, including Lewis Dobbin, Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea. Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025 But another trajectory seems just as likely—that an oppressive state will curtail China’s vitality and place a hard limit on its global rise. Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 26 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for curtail

Word History

Etymology

by folk etymology from earlier curtal to dock an animal's tail, from curtal, noun, animal with a docked tail, from Middle French courtault — more at curtal

First Known Use

1580, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of curtail was in 1580

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Curtail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curtail. Accessed 5 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

curtail

verb
cur·​tail (ˌ)kər-ˈtā(ə)l How to pronounce curtail (audio)
: to make less by or as if by cutting off part of
curtailer noun
curtailment
-ˈtāl-mənt
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on curtail

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!