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

The review, Luna said, would entail “everything we’re doing from policy, procedure, facilities, to make sure we’re not missing anything,” Luna said.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026

Short-term bond funds, such as those run by Vanguard, are paying 4% or more right now and entail relatively little inflation or interest-rate risk.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026

The provision says that the program “may entail the meaningful financial support” of the investor, which some lobbyists are reading as more permissive than other exceptions that “require” such support.

From Barron's • Mar. 16, 2026

An attack on Iran would still entail risk.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026

“I cannot bear to think that they should have all this estate. If it was not for the entail, I should not mind it.”

From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen

Related Words

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