1
: a hanging screen usually capable of being drawn back or up
especially
: window drapery
2
: a device or agency that conceals or acts as a barrier compare iron curtain
3
a
: the part of a bastioned front that connects two neighboring bastions
b(1)
: a similar stretch of plain wall
(2)
: a nonbearing exterior wall
4
a
: the movable screen separating the stage from the auditorium of a theater
b
: the ascent or opening (as at the beginning of a play) of a stage curtain
also
: its descent or closing (as at the end of an act)
c
: the final situation, line, or scene of an act or play
d
: the time at which a theatrical performance begins
curtained; curtaining
ˈkərt-niŋ 
-ˈkər-tᵊn-iŋ
1
: to furnish with or as if with curtains
2
: to veil or shut off with or as if with a curtain
Synonyms
Examples of curtain in a Sentence
Noun
Curtains separated the hospital beds.
When the curtain rises after intermission, the set is bare and the main character finds himself alone.
As the curtain falls for the last time, we see a young woman holding a dying man in her arms.
Verb
she dropped her head in shame and curtained her face with her hair
Recent Examples on the Web
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 4 Nov. 2024
But when the curtain rose, the opera stars smiled, calm prevailed on stage and the production ran smoothly.
—Maxwell Alexander, The Mercury News, 4 Nov. 2024
India Espy-Jones, Essence, 25 Oct. 2024
Inside the towering rattan canopy bed, curtained in another verdant tone, hangs a blue bird cage that houses a porcelain parrot.
—Mitchell Owens, Architectural Digest, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for curtain 
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Noun
Throw pillow covers, slip covers, curtains, and blankets in the wash.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 4 Nov. 2024
But when the curtain rose, the opera stars smiled, calm prevailed on stage and the production ran smoothly.
—Maxwell Alexander, The Mercury News, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
Her look, a raven black wig, curtained by a part, marked her potential end to the summer blonde look.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 25 Oct. 2024
Inside the towering rattan canopy bed, curtained in another verdant tone, hangs a blue bird cage that houses a porcelain parrot.
—Mitchell Owens, Architectural Digest, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for curtain
Dictionary Entries Near curtain
Cite this Entry
“Curtain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curtain. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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