entail

verb

en·tail | \in-ˈtāl,

en-\

entailed; entailing; entails

Definition of entail

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to impose, involve, or imply as a necessary accompaniment or result the project will entail considerable expense

2 : to restrict (property) by limiting the inheritance to the owner's lineal descendants or to a particular class thereof

3a : 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 Browning

b : to fix (a person) permanently in some condition or status entail him and his heirs unto the crown— William Shakespeare

entail

noun

en·tail | \ˈen-ˌtāl,

in-ˈtāl

Definition of entail (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : a restriction especially of lands by limiting the inheritance to the owner's lineal descendants or to a particular class thereof

b : an entailed (see entail entry 1 sense 2) estate

2 : something transmitted as if by entail

Other Words from entail Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about entail

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Other Words from entail

Verb

entailer \in-ˈtā-lər,

en- \ noun

entailment \in-ˈtāl-mənt,

en- \ noun

Examples of entail in a Sentence

Verb

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 on the Web: Verb

The time when the ball is actually in play is vanishingly small—yet not quite brief enough to reduce the four or five hour investment that watching a baseball game now entails. — WSJ, "American Sports Can Be Sleepier Than Soccer," 11 July 2018 The culture becomes the calamity; but to abandon the culture entails another kind of loss. — The Economist, "Tommy Orange’s debut novel is a work of defiance and recovery," 5 July 2018 But Macron isn’t the only leader who has faced the uncertainty a handshake from Trump entails. — Abby Vesoulis, Time, "How President Trump Turned Handshakes Into a High-Stakes Showdown," 2 July 2018 With a small piece of the Orlando City franchise selling at a price that values the whole at $490 million, future MLS expansion figures to entail a sobering dose of sticker shock. — Timothy Sullivan, The Courier-Journal, "James O'Connor's move from LouCity wasn't ideal, but likely inevitable," 1 July 2018 Board member Matthew McManus said after the meeting that sponsorship entailed a donation to the group’s scholarship fund. — Staff Report, chicagotribune.com, "River Grove Library Board looks to add Jesse White Tumblers to River Front Fest lineup," 15 June 2018 What’s not clear is the method that Microsoft’s new system entails. — David Meyer, Fortune, "The Checkout-Less Store War Is On: Microsoft Is Reportedly Working on an Amazon Go Rival," 14 June 2018 Ideally, these will in some form still be Mac apps with the same mouse and keyboard focus that any Mac app entails. — Chaim Gartenberg, The Verge, "Bringing iOS apps to the Mac, on macOS’s terms," 7 June 2018 He was later given a two-year show cause penalty by the NCAA, and spent last season coaching the defensive line at UTSA — far from the spotlight that his time with one of college football’s top teams entailed. — Orion Sang, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Lions' defensive line coach Bo Davis reunites with former pupils," 30 May 2018

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.

History and Etymology for entail

Verb

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

Noun

see entail entry 1

Transitive verb

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

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Dictionary Entries near entail

Statistics for entail

Last Updated

8 Oct 2018

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Time Traveler for entail

The first known use of entail was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for entail

entail

verb

English Language Learners Definition of entail

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

See the full definition for entail in the English Language Learners Dictionary

entail

transitive verb

en·tail | \in-ˈtāl

Legal Definition of entail

(Entry 1 of 2)

: 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

entail

noun

Legal Definition of entail (Entry 2 of 2)

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