curator
noun
cu·ra·tor
ˈkyu̇r-ˌā-tər 
ˈkyər-;
kyu̇-ˈrā-
ˈkyu̇r-ə-,
ˈkyər-
plural curators
: a person who oversees or manages a place (such as a museum or zoo) that offers exhibits
"My passion for animal care and collection management really drove me to become a curator."—
Scott Newland
Scott Newland
also
: a person at a museum, zoo, etc. who is in charge of a specific collection or subject area
the curator of manuscripts
Did you know?
In a good-sized art museum, each curator is generally responsible for a single department or collection: European painting, Asian sculpture, Native American art, and so on. Curatorial duties include acquiring new artworks, caring for and repairing objects already owned, discovering frauds and counterfeits, lending artworks to other museums, and mounting exhibitions of everything from Greek sculpture to 20th-century clothing.
Examples of curator in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Gilroy’s star power alongside a strong cast will make this feature a hot title for festival curators.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 1 Jan. 2026
Writing in the show’s catalogue, curator and critic Magalí Arriola cites Urbano’s interest in theorist Michel Foucault’s concept of heterotopia.
—Javier Montes, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
During her time on the reality show she was described as an event curator.
—Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 26 Dec. 2025
Narwhals are surviving in surprising ways In 2007, a young researcher reached out to the curator of the Rosenborg Castle museum in Denmark with a weird request.
—Maggie Koerth, CNN Money, 25 Dec. 2025
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Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 1 Jan. 2026
Writing in the show’s catalogue, curator and critic Magalí Arriola cites Urbano’s interest in theorist Michel Foucault’s concept of heterotopia.
—Javier Montes, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
During her time on the reality show she was described as an event curator.
—Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 26 Dec. 2025
Narwhals are surviving in surprising ways In 2007, a young researcher reached out to the curator of the Rosenborg Castle museum in Denmark with a weird request.
—Maggie Koerth, CNN Money, 25 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for curator
Cite this Entry
“Curator.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curator. Accessed 3 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
curator
noun
cu·ra·tor
ˈkyu̇(ə)r-ˌāt-ər
kyu̇-ˈrāt-
kyu̇-ˈrāt-
ˈkyu̇r-ət-
: a person in charge of a museum or zoo
Legal Definition
curator
noun
cu·ra·tor
ˈkyu̇r-ˌā-tər, kyu̇-ˈrā-tər
in the civil law of Louisiana
: a person appointed by a court to care for the property of an absent person or to care for the person or property of someone mentally incapable of doing so compare committee, conservator, guardian, interdict, tutor
curatorship
noun
Etymology
Latin, guardian, from curare to take care of
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