entail

American  

[en-teyl, en-teyl, en-teyl] / ɛnˈteɪl, ɛnˈteɪl, ˈɛn teɪl /

verb (used with object)

1. to cause or involve by necessity or as a consequence.

   a loss entailing no regret.

2. to impose as a burden.

   Success entails hard work.

3. Law. to limit the passage of (real estate) to a specified line of heirs, so that it cannot be transferred or bequeathed to anyone else.

4. Law. to cause (anything) to descend to a fixed series of possessors.

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noun

1. the act of entailing.

2. Law. the state of being entailed.

3. any predetermined order of succession, as to an office.

4. Law. something that is entailed, as an estate.

5. Law. the rule of descent settled for an estate.

entail British  

/ ɪnˈteɪl /

verb

1. to bring about or impose by necessity; have as a necessary consequence

   this task entails careful thought

2. property law to restrict (the descent of an estate) to a designated line of heirs

3. logic to have as a necessary consequence

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noun

1. property law

   1. the restriction imposed by entailing an estate

   2. an estate that has been entailed

Other Word Forms

• entailer noun
• entailment noun
• preentail verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of entail

First recorded in 1350–1400; from Middle English entailen (verb), entail (noun), equivalent to en- ¹ + tail ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

She wasn’t quite sure what the job would entail but the pay was as much as $45 an hour, so she moved ahead.

From The Wall Street Journal

"We eagerly await the details of what this policy will actually entail," said Garin, of the Private Equity Stakeholder Project, adding: "But we urge policymakers not to stop there."

From BBC

Discovery’s board on Wednesday formally rejected Paramount’s latest offer, citing the heavy debt load that deal would entail, and also questioning the valuation Paramount was assigning to WBD’s cable business.

From MarketWatch

For humans, it is a foul, laborious job that entails standing over a conveyor belt, plucking beer cans and detergent bottles from a stream of refuse.

From The Wall Street Journal

Making films on the outskirts of legality under an authoritarian regime entails high-stakes discretion.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bring about
• call for
• encompass
• involve
• lead to
• necessitate
• require