MEANING
To reduce the extent or duration of something, often by imposing a limit.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- curtail spending
- curtail an investigation
On the page
Budget cuts curtailed the fieldwork.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Word forms
- Base
- curtail
- Past tense
- curtailed
- Past participle
- curtailed
- Present participle
- curtailing
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- curtail
- Present continuous
- am/is/are curtailing
- Present perfect
- have/has curtailed
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been curtailing
- Past
- curtailed
- Past continuous
- was/were curtailing
- Past perfect
- had curtailed
- Past perfect continuous
- had been curtailing
- Future
- will curtail
- Future continuous
- will be curtailing
- Future perfect
- will have curtailed
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been curtailing
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: curtail; curtails; curtailed; curtailed; curtailing Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: analysis, explanation. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: curtails.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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