entailed; entailing; entails
1
: to have (something) as a necessary part, accompaniment, or result
What exactly does the job entail?
The procedure does entail certain risks.
The process has tax benefits but also entails costs.—
David Roeder
David Roeder2
law
: to restrict (property) by limiting the inheritance to the owner's lineal descendants or to a particular class thereof
3
a
: 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
Robert Browning
b
: to fix (a person) permanently in some condition or status
… entail him and his heirs unto the crown …—William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare1
a
: 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
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
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
John Kerry, semafor.com, 6 Nov. 2025
That phase of growth entails other new territories for the brand, including beauty.
—James Manso, Footwear News, 6 Nov. 2025
Sustainability doesn’t always entail new technologies or supply chain innovations.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
Prep Time Matters Designer Ariel Roberts loves making statements with both wallpaper and paint in her work, so she’s seen firsthand the process each entails.
—Tessa Cooper, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for entail
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Verb
Part of that process entails replacing aging nuclear and coal power plants with natural gas.
—John Kerry, semafor.com, 6 Nov. 2025
That phase of growth entails other new territories for the brand, including beauty.
—James Manso, Footwear News, 6 Nov. 2025
Sustainability doesn’t always entail new technologies or supply chain innovations.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
Prep Time Matters Designer Ariel Roberts loves making statements with both wallpaper and paint in her work, so she’s seen firsthand the process each entails.
—Tessa Cooper, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for entail
Cite this Entry
“Entail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/entail. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
entail
1 of 2 verb
en·tail
in-ˈtā(ə)l 
1
: to limit the inheritance of (property) to the owner's direct descendants or to a certain group of them
2
: to have as a necessary part or result
the essay entails a lot of research
entail
2 of 2 noun
en·tail
ˈen-ˌtāl
in-ˈtā(ə)l
in-ˈtā(ə)l
1
a
: an entailing of property
b
: an entailed estate
2
: the rule fixing descent by entailment
Legal Definition
entail
1 of 2 transitive verb
en·tail
in-ˈtāl
: 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
Benjamin Franklin
entailment
noun
entail
2 of 2 noun1
: 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
Thomas Jefferson 2
: an entailed estate in real property
if entails had not become barrable—Eileen Spring
Eileen Spring3
: the fixed line of descent of an entailed estate
Etymology
Transitive verb
Middle English entaillen, from en-, causative prefix + taille restriction on inheritance see tail
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