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 of curtail

• shorten

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

Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, said that would curtail DHS investigations into child trafficking and drug smuggling. —Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 23 Mar. 2026

Valley Fair first implemented a parking fee in February 2022, saying at the time it was imposed to curtail people from leaving their cars parked at the mall overnight or for days at a time. —Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2026

Unlike in Iran, where authorities have imposed a sweeping blackout, the internet is not completely curtailed in Russia. —Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 21 Mar. 2026

Famous in feminist circles for her Abortion Every Day Substack, which forensically chronicles how reproductive rights are being curtailed law-by-law, state-by-state, Valenti lays out the political and legal landscape of post-Roe America in this short, succinct book. —Literary Hub, 20 Mar. 2026

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