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
Monica Mendal, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2024
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a Faraday curtain descended across European airspace from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Black Sea in the south.
—Ryan Erik King / Jalopnik, Quartz, 23 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for curtain 
Noun
Beds are adorned with crunchy white cotton; sheer curtains waft in the breeze framing the windows overlooking the vineyards and the antique finish of the local tomette tiled floors appear raw and unfinished.
—Monica Mendal, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2024
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a Faraday curtain descended across European airspace from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Black Sea in the south.
—Ryan Erik King / Jalopnik, Quartz, 23 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for curtain
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'curtain.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near curtain
Cite this Entry
“Curtain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curtain. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
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