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
The cast received a standing ovation and acknowledged the band, the Wingdings, concealed behind a blackout curtain on a balcony. Mary Norris, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024 Disney doesn’t publish detailed figures for its studios, let alone its film franchises, so this is a rare peak behind the curtains. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 18 Mar. 2024 The bedrooms continue the home’s moody elegance with shades of gray, layered textiles, and long rows of dark linen curtains that bring softness to the plaster walls and angular furniture. Rachel Gallaher, Robb Report, 16 Mar. 2024 Videos on social media show Timberlake, 43, standing as the curtain behind him slowly revealed Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, Chris Kirkpatrick and JC Chasez. Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2024 Following the premise of the show, Olivia sang a song while her dad was behind a curtain, asking the audience and the judges to figure out who her celebrity relative was. Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024 The domestic dispute escalated to the point where his wife had to fend him off with a shower curtain rod. Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 While one shower curtain is certainly the norm, there are benefits to having two shower curtains. Andrea Wurzburger, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Mar. 2024 In its early days, the new law’s effects will be more about the power struggles behind the curtain of the world’s biggest companies; not about making netizens’ lives easier. Morgan Meaker, WIRED, 6 Mar. 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.

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 29 Mar. 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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