curtail
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cur·tail
(kər-tāl′)tr.v. cur·tailed, cur·tail·ing, cur·tails
To cut short or reduce: We curtailed our conversation when other people entered the room. See Synonyms at shorten.
[Middle English curtailen, to restrict, probably blend of Old French courtauld, docked; see curtal, and Middle English taillen, to cut (from Old French tailler; see tailor).]
cur·tail′er n.
cur·tail′ment n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
curtail
(kɜːˈteɪl)vb
(tr) to cut short; abridge
[C16: changed (through influence of tail1) from obsolete curtal to dock; see curtal]
curˈtailer n
curˈtailment n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
cur•tail
(kərˈteɪl)v.t.
to cut short or cut off a part of; abridge; reduce.
[1425–75; late Middle English: to restrict (of royal succession or inheritance), probably a conflation of Middle French courtau(l)d (see curtal) and Middle English taillen to cut < Old French taillier (see tail2)]
cur•tail′er, n.
cur•tail′ment, n.
syn: See shorten.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
curtail
Past participle: curtailed
Gerund: curtailing
| Imperative |
|---|
| curtail |
| curtail |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Verb | 1. | curtail - place restrictions on; "curtail drinking in school" abridge - lessen, diminish, or curtail; "the new law might abridge our freedom of expression" immobilise, immobilize - cause to be unable to move; "The sudden storm immobilized the traffic" |
| 2. | curtail - terminate or abbreviate before its intended or proper end or its full extent; "My speech was cut short"; "Personal freedom is curtailed in many countries" shorten - make shorter than originally intended; reduce or retrench in length or duration; "He shortened his trip due to illness" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
curtail
verb reduce, cut, diminish, decrease, dock, cut back, shorten, lessen, cut short, pare down, retrench NATO plans to curtail the number of troops being sent to the region. The celebrations had to be curtailed because of bad weather.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
curtail
verbTo make short or shorter the duration or extent of:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يُقَصِّر
zkrátitomezit
afkortebegrænse
piirama
stytta; minnka
sumažinimas
saīsinātsamazināt
kısa kesmekkısaltmak
curtail
[kɜːˈteɪl] VT (= restrict) → restringir; (= cut short) → acortar, abreviar; (= reduce) [+ expenditure] → reducirCollins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
curtail
[kɜːrˈteɪl] vt (= cut short) [+ visit, holiday] → écourter
(= restrict) [+ activities, freedom] → entraver
(= cut back) [+ expenses] → réduire
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
curtail
vt → kürzen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
curtail
(kəˈteil) verb make less, shorter etc (than was originally intended). I've had to curtail my visit.
curˈtailment nounKernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.