curtain

1 of 2

noun

cur·​tain ˈkər-tᵊn 

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

e

curtains plural : end

especially : death

it will be curtains for us if we're caught

curtainless

ˈkər-tᵊn-ləs 

adjective

curtain

2 of 2

verb

curtained; curtaining ˈkərt-niŋ 

-ˈkər-tᵊn-iŋ

transitive verb

1

: to furnish with or as if with curtains

2

: to veil or shut off with or as if with a curtain

Synonyms

Noun

• blanket
• cloak
• cope
• cover
• cover-up
• covering
• coverture
• hood
• mantle
• mask
• pall
• penumbra
• robe
• shroud
• veil
• wraps

Verb

• belie
• blanket
• blot out
• cloak
• conceal
• cover
• disguise
• enshroud
• hide
• mask
• obscure
• occult
• paper over
• screen
• shroud
• suppress
• veil

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

Noun

And that’s a restorative tonic everyone can confidently pull back the curtain on. —Jeff Spry, Space.com, 21 Mar. 2025

The floor also includes a section for home and accessories and a Tiffany Bar inspired by Louis Comfort Tiffany’s mosaic curtain at the Palacio de Bellas Artes, as well as two private salons. —Thomas Waller, WWD, 21 Mar. 2025

Verb

In the study, a canopy bed is curtained in a Holland & Sherry wool lined with a Carleton V ticking stripe. —David Foxley, Architectural Digest, 20 Mar. 2025

Roche used the approach in her foyer, hanging wallpaper and doorway curtains in the same painterly stripe. —Amy Panos, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English curtine, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin cortina (translation of Greek aulaia, from aulē court), from Latin cohort-, cohors enclosure, court — more at court

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing curtain

• bamboo curtain
• bring down the curtain on
• bring the curtain down on
• curtain call
• curtain lecture
• curtain off
• curtain-raiser
• curtain time
• curtain wall
• draw the blinds/curtain/shades on
• drop curtain
• final curtain
• iron curtain
• lace-curtain
• ring down the curtain
• ring up the curtain
• tableau curtain
• the curtain comes down on

Rhymes for curtain

• bertin
• certain
• uncertain

Kids Definition

curtain

noun

cur·​tain

ˈkərt-ᵊn

1

: a piece of material (as cloth) hung up to darken, hide, divide, or decorate

2

: the opening or closing of the curtain in front of the stage of a theater

3

: something that covers, hides, or separates like a curtain

curtain verb