curtain

1 of 2

noun

cur·​tain ˈkər-tᵊn How to pronounce curtain (audio)
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
e
curtains plural : end
especially : death
it will be curtains for us if we're caught
curtainless adjective

curtain

2 of 2

verb

curtained; curtaining ˈkərt-niŋ How to pronounce curtain (audio)
-ˈkər-tᵊn-iŋ

transitive verb

1
: to furnish with or as if with curtains
2
: to veil or shut off with or as if with a curtain

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
Noun
Why pull back the curtain now on a saga the sisters kept secret for years? Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2024 Aston Martin pulled back the curtain on the Vanquish Zagato in 2016. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2024
Verb
Her look, a raven black wig, curtained by a part, marked her potential end to the summer blonde look. India Espy-Jones, Essence, 25 Oct. 2024 Inside the towering rattan canopy bed, curtained in another verdant tone, hangs a blue bird cage that houses a porcelain parrot. Mitchell Owens, Architectural Digest, 11 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for curtain 

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.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English curtine, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin cortina (translation of Greek aulaia, from aulē court), from Latin cohort-, cohors enclosure, court — more at court

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of curtain was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near curtain

Cite this Entry

“Curtain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curtain. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

curtain

noun
cur·​tain
ˈkərt-ᵊn
1
: a piece of material (as cloth) hung up to darken, hide, divide, or decorate
2
: the opening or closing of the curtain in front of the stage of a theater
3
: something that covers, hides, or separates like a curtain
curtain verb

More from Merriam-Webster on curtain

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