curtail

verb

cur·​tail (ˌ)kər-ˈtāl 

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

(ˌ)kər-ˈtā-lər 

noun

Synonyms

• abbreviate
• abridge
• cut back
• dock
• elide
• shorten
• syncopate
• truncate

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

Under Trump, border encounters with migrants have dropped dramatically amid tougher enforcement and drastically curtailed asylum and refugee programs. —Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 May 2025

Republicans also face unfavorable odds of curtailing a long-standing practice by nearly every state -- known as provider taxes -- through which states pay some of their share of Medicaid costs by taxing hospitals, nursing homes and other providers. —Phil Galewitz, ABC News, 14 May 2025

The effects of these cuts have been felt around the world, as people’s access to food, medicine, and disaster relief previously supplied by USAID has been severely curtailed. —Time, 12 May 2025

There’s little doubt the Fed faces a formidable challenge, with Trump’s hefty import fees set to both sharply raise prices and curtail consumer spending, the economy’s engine, leaving officials torn between their two missions. —Paul Davidson, USA Today, 9 May 2025

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

Rhymes for curtail

• airmail
• assail
• avail
• bewail
• blackmail
• cattail
• cocktail
• derail
• detail
• dovetail
• email
• entail

Kids Definition

curtail

verb

cur·​tail (ˌ)kər-ˈtā(ə)l 

: to make less by or as if by cutting off part of

curtailer

-ˈtā-lər 

noun

curtailment

-ˈtāl-mənt

noun