Curtail

/kɜːˈteɪl/ · verb

Meaning

(transitive, obsolete) To cut short the tail of (an animal)..

Definitions by Sense

1. (transitive, obsolete) To cut short the tail of (an animal).
2. (transitive) To shorten or abridge the duration of; to bring an end to; to truncate.
3. (transitive, figuratively) To limit or restrict; to keep in check.
4. (architecture) A scroll termination, as of a step, etc.

Example Sentences

Curtailing horses procured long horse-hair.

When the audience grew restless, the speaker curtailed her speech.

Although British involvement in the slave trade prior to 1807 cannot be denied, or its effects diminished, it is also a fact that the Royal Navy was pretty much the only force in the world in the 19th century with the numbers, drive, willingness, firepower, and capability to curtail the global slave trade, and that, without these efforts, many more would no doubt have been taken to slave plantations and other such destinations during the 19th, and possibly even into the 20th, centuries, as it must be remembered that a great many European powers would only begrudgingly commit to ending the slave trade when the other option was continuous war with the British Empire.

This is the rump of the C.L.C. branch to Southport Lord Street, which lost its passenger services beyond Aintree from January 7, 1952, whereupon the timetable between Gateacre and Aintree was greatly curtailed.

The current Israeli government has been working to curtail and eliminate critical voices within Israeli society in recent years, particularly those fighting to end the occupation and expose human rights violations against Palestinians and marginalized communities.

Synonyms for curtail

Antonyms for curtail

Related Words

Word Forms

• curtails
• curtailing
• curtailed

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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