curate

American  

[kyoor-it, kyoo-reyt, kyoor-eyt] / ˈkyʊər ɪt, kyʊˈreɪt, ˈkyʊər eɪt /

noun

1. Chiefly British. a member of the clergy employed to assist a rector or vicar.

2. any ecclesiastic entrusted with the cure of souls, as a parish priest.

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verb (used with object)

curated, curating

1. to take charge of (a museum) or organize (an art exhibit).

   to curate a photography show.

2. to pull together, sift through, and select for presentation, as music or website content.

   “We curate our merchandise with a sharp eye for trending fashion,” the store manager explained.

curate ¹ British  

/ ˈkjʊərɪt /

noun

1. a clergyman appointed to assist a parish priest

2. a clergyman who has the charge of a parish ( curate-in-charge )

3. an assistant barman

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curate ² British  

/ kjʊəˈreɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to be in charge of (an art exhibition or museum)

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Other Word Forms

• curateship noun
• curatic adjective
• curatical adjective
• curation noun
• subcurate noun

Etymology

Origin of curate

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English curat, from Anglo-French or directly from Medieval Latin cūrātus, equivalent to Latin cūr(a) “care” + -ātus -ate ¹

Explanation

When you curate something, you organize and present it. If you work for a museum, you might curate an exhibit of abstract sculpture. The noun curate originally referred to anyone taking care of church property in some way. Nowadays, the noun generally refers to a person with religious training who conducts religious services. Curate comes from the word cure, and a curate is supposed to cure that most important part of you — your soul. When you curate a museum exhibit — or a selection of 1980s fashion for your retro blog — you care for or manage it just as a curate cares for a parish.

Example Sentences

It said the company did so through its recommendation algorithms, which are essentially tools that Meta uses to automatically curate the content a user sees on its platforms.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

Lucas donated his collection to curate the Lucas Archives, which, in addition to “Star Wars,” will encompass props and production art from Lucasfilm projects, such as the “Indiana Jones” franchise.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026

"The power in this type of study is the ability to curate a particular population of interest -- in this case, patients who are colorblind who develop bladder cancer or colorectal cancer," Rahimy said.

From Science Daily • Mar. 10, 2026

I revamped my Goodreads account to curate a new list.

From Slate • Mar. 8, 2026

He took a step closer, the curate still held tightly in his grip.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman