curator

American  

[kyoo-rey-ter, kyoor-ey-, kyoor-uh-ter] / kyʊˈreɪ tər, ˈkyʊər eɪ-, ˈkyʊər ə tər /

noun

1. the person in charge of a museum, art collection, etc.

2. a person who selects content for presentation, as on a website.

3. a manager; superintendent.

4. Law. a guardian of a minor or any other person who is unable to care for their own affairs, especially with regard to their property.

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curator British  

/ ˌkjʊərəˈtɔːrɪəl, kjʊəˈreɪtə /

noun

1. the administrative head of a museum, art gallery, or similar institution

2. law a guardian of a minor, mentally ill person, etc

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Other Word Forms

• curatorial adjective
• curatorship noun
• subcurator noun
• subcuratorial adjective
• subcuratorship noun

Etymology

Origin of curator

First recorded in 1325–75; from Latin, equivalent to cūrā(re) “to care for, attend to” ( cure ) + -tor -tor

Example Sentences

"Together they invite us to see the city itself as a kind of artwork: layered, complex and made up of many different experiences," Gyan Prakash, curator of the exhibition, told the BBC.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

The 79-year-old president asked a curator if he could “have taken Elvis in a fight.”

From Salon • Mar. 23, 2026

"It's all of ours first day," said a curator, re-assembling the artwork as it writhed.

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

Despite the horror vacui and digital pandering, the objects brought together here by lead curator Rosina Buckland describe multiple facets of samurai culture with breadth and brilliance.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026

White House tours are generally self-guided, but this one involved being taken around by a White House curator, who walked a small group of us through its grand hallways and various public rooms.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

• administrator
• conservator
• custodian
• director
• manager