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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
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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
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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.
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Johnson did not immediately respond to an email Monday morning seeking comment about what that position would entail.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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The intention was to project an image of control, without having to grapple with the issues which Brexit actually entailed.
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While those entailed rappelling down a skyscraper and climbing a tower of construction pallets, Flanary said the most difficult task to face was bungee jumping off a bridge in Greece.
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That V10 is a peach of an engine, revving out to 8,700rpm with all the wonderful attendant noise that entails.
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
Recent Examples of entail from the Web
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Can’t wait to see what their third wedding entails!
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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.
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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.
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Students know what the cutting edge entails and are eager to participate.
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But what person who’s responsible for another living creature ever really understands what care entails?
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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.
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Both entail—not to give the game away—a large primate who has made absolutely no effort to meet with his therapist.
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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.
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
see 1entail
ENTAIL Defined for English Language Learners
entail
playDefinition of entail for English Language Learners
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: to have (something) as a part, step, or result
Law Dictionary
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
nounOrigin and Etymology of entail
Middle English entaillen, from en-, causative prefix + taille restriction on inheritance — see tail
entail
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
Learn More about entail
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See words that rhyme with entail Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for entail Spanish Central: Translation of entail Nglish: Translation of entail for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of entail for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about entail
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