entail

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verb en·tail \in-ˈtāl, en-\

Definition of entail

transitive verb
1 : to restrict (property) by limiting the inheritance to the owner's lineal descendants or to a particular class thereof
2a : to confer, assign, or transmit (something) for an indefinitely long time : to confer, assign, or transmit as if by entail entailed on them indelible disgrace — Robert Browningb : to fix (a person) permanently in some condition or status entail him and his heirs unto the crown — William Shakespeare
3 : to impose, involve, or imply as a necessary accompaniment or result the project will entail considerable expense

entailer

play \in-ˈtā-lər, en-\ noun

entailment

play \in-ˈtāl-mənt, en-\ noun

See entail defined for English-language learners

See entail defined for kids

Examples of entail in a Sentence

Pregnancy involves the bodily dependence of the unborn child on its mother; in many cases, it entails a significant physical burden. —Cathleen Kaveny, Commonweal, 4 May 2007
… it was a Master Highlighter Event, a two-day guest appearance by one of Kinkade's specially trained assistants, who would highlight any picture bought during the event for free. Highlighting a picture is not that different from highlighting your hair: it entails stippling tiny bright dots of paint on the picture to give it more texture and luminescence. —Susan Orlean, New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2001
Life is a difficult and complicated enterprise. It entails joy but also suffering, gain but also loss, hope but also despair. —Neal Gabler, Life: The Movie, 1998
Discourse is a social as well as an intellectual activity; it entails interaction between minds, and it revolves around something possessed in common. —David A. Hollinger, In the American Province, (1985) 1992
He accepted the responsibility, with all that it entails.
a lavish wedding entails extensive planning and often staggering expense

Recent Examples of entail from the Web

The cuts involve closing and consolidating smaller branches, cutting outside consultants and centralizing operations – which could entail moving jobs offshore.

— jack flemming, charlotteobserver, "Wells Fargo poised to sell more businesses as it streamlines following accounts scandal," 19 July 2017
Board members voted 5-2 to approve the recommendation offered by the district's administration, which entails spending about $15,000 more per year on lawn care.

— lee v. gaines, chicagotribune.com, "Green light: District 64 backs plan to switch to more natural approach to lawn care," 27 June 2017
Johnson did not immediately respond to an email Monday morning seeking comment about what that position would entail.

— tessa weinberg and phillip m. bailey, The Courier-Journal, "Dan Johnson angry about leaks. At least that's what a leaked email tells us," 26 June 2017
The operation, which entailed implanting computer code in sensitive computer systems that Russia was bound to find, served only as a reminder to Moscow of the United States’ cyber reach.

— greg miller, Washington Post, "Obama’s secret struggle to punish Russia for Putin’s election assault," 23 June 2017
The news conference and junket — which entails having reporters hop from one hotel room to the next to interview the movie’s principals for scant minutes as publicists count down the time — were to be held the next day.

— cara buckley, New York Times, "A Maverick Director, His Big Pig and the Small Screen," 23 June 2017
The City Council on June 6 approved the project, which entails construction of a 600-foot-long, 12-foot-wide asphalt concrete trail starting at the Almaden Lake Park parking lot.

— julia baum, The Mercury News, "Pedestrian/bike tunnel to be built under Coleman at Almaden Lake Park," 14 June 2017
It was founded by the firebrand Ian Paisley in 1971 at the height of the Northern Ireland conflict, which entailed some three decades of violence between the province’s largely Catholic nationalist minority and largely Protestant unionist majority.

— naomi o'leary, The Atlantic, "How a Small Northern Ireland Party Became a U.K. Powerbroker," 13 June 2017
The intention was to project an image of control, without having to grapple with the issues which Brexit actually entailed.

— ian dunt, The Atlantic, "The Brexit Election That Wasn't," 8 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'entail.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of entail

Middle English entailen, entaillen, from ¹en- + taile, taille limitation — more at ⁴tail

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First Known Use: 14th century

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entail

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noun en·tail \ˈen-ˌtāl, in-ˈtāl\

Definition of entail

1a : a restriction especially of lands by limiting the inheritance to the owner's lineal descendants or to a particular class thereofb : an entailed (see ¹entail 1) estate
2 : something transmitted as if by entail

Recent Examples of entail from the Web

Can’t wait to see what their third wedding entails!

— lisa ryan, The Cut, "Gossip Girl’s Penn Badgley and Brooklyn Doula Domino Kirke Got Married … Again," 26 June 2017
Just as there is no one definition of what offering sanctuary entails, there is no official number of churches and congregations participating in the sanctuary movement.

— raul a. reyes, NBC News, "Meet the Man Who Wants NYC Catholic Churches to Offer Sanctuary to Immigrants," 19 June 2017
That $500,000 project entails reducing automobile lanes on the one-way eastbound street, which planners say does not carry a heavy traffic load, from three to one.

— andres viglucci, miamiherald, "Safer bike lanes to debut in Miami and South Beach. Will regular folks jump on?," 12 June 2017
Students know what the cutting edge entails and are eager to participate.

— david whitley, OrlandoSentinel.com, "TNXL Baseball Academy athletes pass on tradition high school to focus on training," 19 May 2017
But what person who’s responsible for another living creature ever really understands what care entails?

— hanya yanagihara, New York Times, "A Pet Tortoise Who Will Outlive Us All," 17 May 2017
During her presentation, Siskind explained that fracturing entails pumping millions of gallons of solution containing water, chemicals, and sand into the ground at very high pressure to shatter or fracture shale to release oil or gas.

— kitty leshay, Courant Community, "A Process To Ban Fracking Waste," 16 May 2017
Both entail—not to give the game away—a large primate who has made absolutely no effort to meet with his therapist.

— adam davidson, The New Yorker, "“Kong: Skull Island” and “Raw”," 13 Mar. 2017
Levin's lens gives us a glimpse into the lives of people from both sides of the block, revealing a similar consciousness—and conscience—about what such disparity entails.

— alexandra owens, Town & Country, "6 Fascinating Things We Learned From HBO's Class Divide," 6 Oct. 2016

Origin and Etymology of entail

see ¹entail

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

ENTAIL Defined for English Language Learners

entail

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verb

Definition of entail for English Language Learners

: to have (something) as a part, step, or result

Law Dictionary

entail

play

transitive verb en·tail \in-ˈtāl\

Legal Definition of entail

: to make (an estate in real property) a fee tail : limit the descent of (real property) by restricting inheritance to specific descendants who cannot convey or transfer the property estates are entailed entire on the eldest male heir — Benjamin Franklin

entailment

noun

Origin and Etymology of entail

Middle English entaillen, from en-, causative prefix + taille restriction on inheritance — see tail

entail

noun en·tail

Legal Definition of entail

1 : an act or instance of entailing real property; also : the practice of entailing property the repeal of the laws of entail would prevent the accumulation and perpetuation of wealth in select families — Thomas Jefferson — see also De Donis Conditionalibus
2 : an entailed estate in real property if entails had not become barrable — Eileen Spring
3 : the fixed line of descent of an entailed estate