1
: a hanging screen usually capable of being drawn back or up
especially
: window drapery
2
: a device or agency that conceals or acts as a barrier compare iron curtain
3
a
: the part of a bastioned front that connects two neighboring bastions
b(1)
: a similar stretch of plain wall
(2)
: a nonbearing exterior wall
4
a
: the movable screen separating the stage from the auditorium of a theater
b
: the ascent or opening (as at the beginning of a play) of a stage curtain
also
: its descent or closing (as at the end of an act)
c
: the final situation, line, or scene of an act or play
d
: the time at which a theatrical performance begins
curtained; curtaining
ˈkərt-niŋ 
-ˈkər-tᵊn-iŋ
1
: to furnish with or as if with curtains
2
: to veil or shut off with or as if with a curtain
Synonyms
Examples of curtain in a Sentence
Noun
Curtains separated the hospital beds.
When the curtain rises after intermission, the set is bare and the main character finds himself alone.
As the curtain falls for the last time, we see a young woman holding a dying man in her arms.
Verb
she dropped her head in shame and curtained her face with her hair
Recent Examples on the Web
Monica Mendal, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2024
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a Faraday curtain descended across European airspace from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Black Sea in the south.
—Ryan Erik King / Jalopnik, Quartz, 23 Apr. 2024
Jokic remained inevitable, with 11 points in the first and eight in the third and his sort-of-dunk on James with 3:41 left in the game and a real dunk with 1:16 remaining that pulled the curtain on any comeback.
—Troy Renck, The Denver Post, 21 Apr. 2024
The organizers then moved Flynn to a room walled off by curtains and two guards.
—Brandy Zadrozny, NBC News, 18 Apr. 2024
Here, performers dance behind beaded curtains while bartenders serve drinks out of a wooden structure that resembles a confessional.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 18 Apr. 2024
This two-pack is semi-sheer and comes with a grommet top to fit most curtain rods.
—Dorian Smith-Garcia, Parents, 9 Apr. 2024
For immersive exhibits, curtains will divide warehouse space, Gabbard said.
—Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2024
Featuring pods with privacy curtains and excellent dining options, Pangea is centrally located in Whistler Village, just steps away from the slopes.
—Tina Charisma, Essence, 8 Apr. 2024
Vulture, 8 Dec. 2023
And Beijing has made clear its restrictions on critical minerals are payback for Washington’s efforts to curtain Chinese access to advanced American semiconductors.
—Lily Kuo, Washington Post, 29 Nov. 2023
Kelce's pants bear a striking resemblance to the velvet curtains Swift had in the background of all of her Midnights tracklist reveal TikTok videos.
—Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 10 Oct. 2023
His study participants were able to predict, with reasonable accuracy, which curtain on a computer screen hid an erotic image.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2023
And just over her shoulder was the world’s most extraordinary room: walls curtained in red-brown print (and, in memory, a tented ceiling), French furniture artfully scattered on a needlepoint carpet stitched with blackamoor heads, and, above the whole, a Venetian chandelier centered by a clock.
—Town & Country, 17 Aug. 2023
Nifty air curtains precisely direct air through front wheel arches to soothe turbulence.
—IEEE Spectrum, 22 Apr. 2023
The upper level of the 18,000-seat arena was curtained off; fans filled about half of the lower bowl and suites and a significant percentage of the high-dollar floor seats.
—Dave Kallmann, Journal Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2023
The singer wore an ornate bandeau bra embellished with hanging strands of crystals that curtained her baby bump.
—André-Naquian Wheeler, Vogue, 12 Mar. 2023
Noun
Beds are adorned with crunchy white cotton; sheer curtains waft in the breeze framing the windows overlooking the vineyards and the antique finish of the local tomette tiled floors appear raw and unfinished.
—Monica Mendal, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2024
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a Faraday curtain descended across European airspace from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Black Sea in the south.
—Ryan Erik King / Jalopnik, Quartz, 23 Apr. 2024
Jokic remained inevitable, with 11 points in the first and eight in the third and his sort-of-dunk on James with 3:41 left in the game and a real dunk with 1:16 remaining that pulled the curtain on any comeback.
—Troy Renck, The Denver Post, 21 Apr. 2024
The organizers then moved Flynn to a room walled off by curtains and two guards.
—Brandy Zadrozny, NBC News, 18 Apr. 2024
Here, performers dance behind beaded curtains while bartenders serve drinks out of a wooden structure that resembles a confessional.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 18 Apr. 2024
This two-pack is semi-sheer and comes with a grommet top to fit most curtain rods.
—Dorian Smith-Garcia, Parents, 9 Apr. 2024
For immersive exhibits, curtains will divide warehouse space, Gabbard said.
—Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2024
Featuring pods with privacy curtains and excellent dining options, Pangea is centrally located in Whistler Village, just steps away from the slopes.
—Tina Charisma, Essence, 8 Apr. 2024
Verb
If even these middle-of-the-road precursors couldn’t find room for the accessible sports dramedy, that’s probably the end of its run as a dark-horse Oscar player, and therefore curtains for Davis’s Supporting Actress hopes.
—Vulture, 8 Dec. 2023
And Beijing has made clear its restrictions on critical minerals are payback for Washington’s efforts to curtain Chinese access to advanced American semiconductors.
—Lily Kuo, Washington Post, 29 Nov. 2023
Kelce's pants bear a striking resemblance to the velvet curtains Swift had in the background of all of her Midnights tracklist reveal TikTok videos.
—Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 10 Oct. 2023
His study participants were able to predict, with reasonable accuracy, which curtain on a computer screen hid an erotic image.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2023
And just over her shoulder was the world’s most extraordinary room: walls curtained in red-brown print (and, in memory, a tented ceiling), French furniture artfully scattered on a needlepoint carpet stitched with blackamoor heads, and, above the whole, a Venetian chandelier centered by a clock.
—Town & Country, 17 Aug. 2023
Nifty air curtains precisely direct air through front wheel arches to soothe turbulence.
—IEEE Spectrum, 22 Apr. 2023
The upper level of the 18,000-seat arena was curtained off; fans filled about half of the lower bowl and suites and a significant percentage of the high-dollar floor seats.
—Dave Kallmann, Journal Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2023
The singer wore an ornate bandeau bra embellished with hanging strands of crystals that curtained her baby bump.
—André-Naquian Wheeler, Vogue, 12 Mar. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'curtain.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near curtain
Cite this Entry
“Curtain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curtain. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
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