Curtail: Definition, Usage & Common Examples

Meaning 1：cut short (curtail)

curtail 🔊

/kɜːrˈteɪl/

vt.

to reduce or limit something, often to save money or because of a rule change.

Curtail definition illustrated by officials cutting budget items

cut short 🔊

➕

/kʌt ʃɔːrt/

vt.

To formally reduce or limit something in extent, amount, or duration.

📁 Category：Social Economy 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'curtus' (short) + Old French 'courtault' (with a docked tail). Literally means 'to shorten'.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of a CURLY TAIL being CUT short. CURT (brief) + TAIL = to cut short.

📖 Example

Due to the budget cuts, the city had to curtail its plans for the new park. 🔊 Due to the budget cuts, the city had to cut short its plans for the new park.

🔗 Collocations

curtail activities – to limit or reduce one's actions or operations

curtail spending – to reduce the amount of money being used

curtail freedom – to impose limits on personal liberty

🔄 Synonyms

reduce (vt.) – to make something smaller in size, amount, or degree.

limit (vt.) – to set a point or level beyond which something should not go.

restrict (vt.) – to put a limit on something or keep it under control.

🚫 Antonyms

expand (vt.) – to increase in size, number, or importance.

increase (vt.) – to become or make greater in size, amount, or degree.

extend (vt.) – to cause to cover a larger area or last a longer time.

🌱 Derivatives

curtailment (n.) – the action or fact of reducing or restricting something.

📖 Cultural Story

The word 'curtail' has a literal origin in horsemanship. It comes from the late 15th-century term 'curtal', meaning a horse with a docked tail. This image of cutting something short evolved into the modern meaning of reducing or limiting.