curtail
Pronunciation
  • (RP) IPA: /kɜːˈteɪl/
  • (America) IPA: /kɚˈteɪl/
Verb

curtail (curtails, present participle curtailing; past and past participle curtailed)

  1. (transitive, obsolete) To cut short the tail of an animal
    Curtailing horses procured long horse-hair.
  2. (transitive) To shorten or abridge the duration of something; to truncate.
    When the audience grew restless, the speaker curtailed her speech.
  3. (transitive, figuratively) To limit or restrict, keep in check.
    • 2018, "Israeli gov't is trying to defund +972 Magazine, report says" ↗, +972 Magazine:
      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 Related terms Translations Translations Translations Noun

curtail (plural curtails)

  1. (architecture) A scroll termination, as of a step, etc.



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