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

Some flights to the Middle East have been rerouted, and service to select destinations in or near the conflict zone has been curtailed, but domestic flights and those to popular international tourist destinations in Europe, Asia, Latin America and Oceania are largely unaffected. —Zach Wichter, USA Today, 12 Apr. 2026

War has a way of curtailing imagination. —Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2026

Exports of helium, a key material in chipmaking and other manufacturing processes, have already been significantly curtailed by the fighting, and some European companies have faced delays to semiconductor deliveries from Asia due to flight path disruption. —Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 10 Apr. 2026

Sadly, Illinois is one of the states where this right is curtailed, but the governor has the chance to follow the lead of Illinois legislators who introduced the Illinois Human Rights Advocacy Protection Act (House Bill 2723) to restore our civil liberties in this area of state law. —Byron Sigcho-Lopez, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 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