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Synonyms

curtail

1 American  
[ker-teyl] / kərˈteɪl /

verb (used with object)

  1. to cut short; cut off a part of; abridge; reduce; diminish.

    Synonyms:
    dock, lessen
curtail 2 American  
[kur-teyl] / ˈkɜrˌteɪl /

noun

Architecture.

  1. a horizontal, spiral termination to the lower end of a stair railing.

  2. Also called curtail step.  a starting step having a scroll termination to one or both ends of the tread.

curtail British  
/ kɜːˈteɪl /

verb

  1. (tr) to cut short; abridge

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See shorten.

Other Word Forms

  • curtailedly adverb
  • curtailer noun
  • curtailment noun
  • noncurtailing adjective
  • uncurtailed adjective

Etymology

Origin of curtail1

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English curtailen “to restrict” (said of royal succession or inheritance), probably a conflation of Middle French courtau(l)d ( curtal ) and Middle English taillen “to cut” ( taille, tailor 1 )

Origin of curtail2

Probably alteration, by folk etymology, of curtal

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The curtailing of perks, from offsites to travel, is happening amid an AI push that employees say seems aimed at squeezing more work out of fewer people.

From The Wall Street Journal

The disruptions to Qatar’s shipments of liquefied natural gas have directly curtailed helium feedstock.

From The Wall Street Journal

The curtailing of perks, from offsites to travel, is happening against the backdrop of an artificial intelligence push that employees say seems aimed at squeezing more work out of fewer people.

From The Wall Street Journal

Yara has limited direct exposure to the region, but has been affected by rising freight and natural-gas costs and had to curtail production at a plant in India because it didn’t have gas, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

In the last year and a half, she has reported significant progress curtailing the violence in Mexico, reporting a decrease in homicide rates by 42% from September 2024 to January 2026.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.