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
Overseen by our skilled team of researchers, preservationists, and curators, the Academy Collection plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of moviemaking.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 31 Oct. 2024
That helped draw an international crowd of collectors and curators.
—Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 30 Oct. 2024
The child is tucked away in the bottom left-hand corner, but in the mind of curator and art historian Alayo Akinkugbe, his presence fills the entire frame.
—Leah Dolan, CNN, 30 Oct. 2024
If left alone spiders provide free pest control, eating more obnoxious pests such as flies, said Allen Lawrance, associate curator of entomology at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum located in Chicago and operated by the Chicago Academy of Science.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for curator 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 31 Oct. 2024
That helped draw an international crowd of collectors and curators.
—Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 30 Oct. 2024
The child is tucked away in the bottom left-hand corner, but in the mind of curator and art historian Alayo Akinkugbe, his presence fills the entire frame.
—Leah Dolan, CNN, 30 Oct. 2024
If left alone spiders provide free pest control, eating more obnoxious pests such as flies, said Allen Lawrance, associate curator of entomology at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum located in Chicago and operated by the Chicago Academy of Science.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for curator
Dictionary Entries Near curator
Cite this Entry
“Curator.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curator. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share