as in shortens
to make less in extent or duration
curtailed the school day because of the stormy weather
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Recent Examples of curtails
Think of this as the pessimistic, narrower option, where the greenhouse effect curtails the zone's inner edge and the loss of carbon dioxide from a planetary atmosphere marks its outer edge.
—
Keith Cooper, Space.com, 4 Feb. 2026
The Postal Service™ curtails delivery only after careful consideration, and only as a last resort.
—Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 24 Jan. 2026
The connection of these celestial entities brightens our drive, but curtails our intuition.
—Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 16 Jan. 2026
Trump formalized the policy in a sweeping executive order signed Wednesday that sharply curtails how defense contractors can use profits and compensate executives.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
Such a reading of the law at the center of the case could provide Trump an opening -- along with other tariffs that have not been challenged in court -- to continue his global-trotting mission to reshape trade imbalances, even if the high court curtails his broad tariff power.
—Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2025
Where To Stay in Martin County With a strict ban on buildings over four stories, the Treasure Coast curtails the kind of over development that can choke out some Florida beach towns.
—Kelsey Glennon, Southern Living, 3 Oct. 2025
Equity grading, which curtails teacher discretion, should be junked.
—Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
His minority interest in the Raiders presents a clear conflict of interest that at least subconsciously likely curtails his willingness to criticize, at least to an extent.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2025
Keith Cooper, Space.com, 4 Feb. 2026
The Postal Service™ curtails delivery only after careful consideration, and only as a last resort.
—Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 24 Jan. 2026
The connection of these celestial entities brightens our drive, but curtails our intuition.
—Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 16 Jan. 2026
Trump formalized the policy in a sweeping executive order signed Wednesday that sharply curtails how defense contractors can use profits and compensate executives.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
Such a reading of the law at the center of the case could provide Trump an opening -- along with other tariffs that have not been challenged in court -- to continue his global-trotting mission to reshape trade imbalances, even if the high court curtails his broad tariff power.
—Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2025
Where To Stay in Martin County With a strict ban on buildings over four stories, the Treasure Coast curtails the kind of over development that can choke out some Florida beach towns.
—Kelsey Glennon, Southern Living, 3 Oct. 2025
Equity grading, which curtails teacher discretion, should be junked.
—Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
His minority interest in the Raiders presents a clear conflict of interest that at least subconsciously likely curtails his willingness to criticize, at least to an extent.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for curtails
shortens
Verb
-
The landmark Harvard Six Cities Study, which tracked the health of thousands of Americans from the 1970s through the 1990s, proved unambiguously that air pollution shortens lives.—
Michelle A. Williams,
STAT,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Volkswagen says the shift to a software-centric development process shortens overall vehicle development cycles by up to 30%.—
Matthew MacConnell,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Curtails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/curtails. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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