as in shortening
to make less in extent or duration
curtailed the school day because of the stormy weather
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Recent Examples of curtailing
Britain’s universities are firing staff, cutting courses, and curtailing research over an intensifying financial shortfall.
—
Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 29 May 2026
On Tuesday, amid conversations on expanding the College Football Playoff and curtailing rules in regard to governing athletics, Lane Kiffin became the center of attention once again.
—Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 26 May 2026
In an interview about his 2022 book, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, Bill Gates said that curtailing consumption to eliminate carbon emissions is of limited value.
—John Reid, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026
In a country that bills itself as a beacon of free speech, educational institutions especially should not be curtailing it.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 8 May 2026
The stock hit a new high before curtailing some of its gains.
—Jason Gewirtz, CNBC, 6 May 2026
The high court declared last week that Louisiana’s addition of a second majority-Black congressional district is an unconstitutional racial gerrymander in a 6-3 decision, curtailing Section 2 of the voting law that has long enabled advocacy groups to force new majority-minority districts.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 4 May 2026
Pakistan and Bangladesh have closed schools, and, across Southeast Asia, officials are working from home and curtailing travel.
—Wendy Cutler, Fortune, 2 May 2026
But Emirati officials had threatened for years to leave, blaming Opec’s production quotas for unfairly curtailing its oil exports.
—Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 30 Apr. 2026
Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 29 May 2026
On Tuesday, amid conversations on expanding the College Football Playoff and curtailing rules in regard to governing athletics, Lane Kiffin became the center of attention once again.
—Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 26 May 2026
In an interview about his 2022 book, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, Bill Gates said that curtailing consumption to eliminate carbon emissions is of limited value.
—John Reid, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026
In a country that bills itself as a beacon of free speech, educational institutions especially should not be curtailing it.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 8 May 2026
The stock hit a new high before curtailing some of its gains.
—Jason Gewirtz, CNBC, 6 May 2026
The high court declared last week that Louisiana’s addition of a second majority-Black congressional district is an unconstitutional racial gerrymander in a 6-3 decision, curtailing Section 2 of the voting law that has long enabled advocacy groups to force new majority-minority districts.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 4 May 2026
Pakistan and Bangladesh have closed schools, and, across Southeast Asia, officials are working from home and curtailing travel.
—Wendy Cutler, Fortune, 2 May 2026
But Emirati officials had threatened for years to leave, blaming Opec’s production quotas for unfairly curtailing its oil exports.
—Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 30 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for curtailing
Verb
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The theory is that a flat organization boosts agility by shortening decision chains and putting leaders closer to frontline employees and the customer experience.—
Claire Zillman,
Fortune,
30 May 2026
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Companies shortening depreciation schedules may be signaling conservatism and discipline.—
Brian Anderson,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
Verb
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But after years of record investment by the state in such wildfire risk mitigation, two key money sources are drying up, potentially reducing the state’s annual budget for vegetation removal by hundreds of millions of dollars.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
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Although reducing carbon pollution, which stays in the atmosphere for hundreds of years, is key to tackling the climate crisis, slashing methane has been seen as something of a low-hanging fruit.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Curtailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/curtailing. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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