Words / C1

kur-TAYL/kɜːˈteɪl/

To curtail is to reduce or limit, often by a decision: curtail spending, curtail a visit. Cut and shorten are everyday; reduce is a close cousin. Curtailment is the noun. The word is slightly official. You curtail an activity or supply, not a person. Do not use it as a fancy synonym of cancel — cancelling stops it; curtailing shortens or limits it.

Meaning

To reduce or limit something, often by an official decision.

Examples

• “The strike curtailed train services after 8 p.m.”
• “Fog curtailed flights after 9 p.m.; the morning ones still left.”
• “The grant was curtailed, not withdrawn, which still meant fewer hours.”

Good to know

Limit/shorten (official). Everyday: cut / shorten. Contrast: cancel (stop entirely). Not “curtail a person”.

Near in meaning

shorten

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