entail

1 of 2

verb

en·​tail in-ˈtāl 

en-

entailed; entailing; entails

transitive verb

1

: to impose, involve, or imply as a necessary accompaniment or result

the project will entail considerable expense

2

: to restrict (property) by limiting the inheritance to the owner's lineal descendants or to a particular class thereof

3

a

: to confer, assign, or transmit (something) for an indefinitely long time : to confer, assign, or transmit as if by entail

entailed on them indelible disgrace

—Robert Browning

b

: to fix (a person) permanently in some condition or status

entail him and his heirs unto the crown

—William Shakespeare

entailer

in-ˈtā-lər 

en-

noun

entail

2 of 2

noun

en·​tail ˈen-ˌtāl  in-ˈtāl 

1

a

: a restriction especially of lands by limiting the inheritance to the owner's lineal descendants or to a particular class thereof

b

: an entailed (see entail entry 1 sense 2) estate

2

: something transmitted as if by entail

Synonyms

Verb

• carry
• comprehend
• contain
• embrace
• encompass
• include
• involve
• number
• subsume
• take in

Examples of entail in a Sentence

Verb

Pregnancy involves the bodily dependence of the unborn child on its mother; in many cases, it entails a significant physical burden. —Cathleen Kaveny, Commonweal, 4 May 2007

… it was a Master Highlighter Event, a two-day guest appearance by one of Kinkade's specially trained assistants, who would highlight any picture bought during the event for free. Highlighting a picture is not that different from highlighting your hair: it entails stippling tiny bright dots of paint on the picture to give it more texture and luminescence. —Susan Orlean, New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2001

Life is a difficult and complicated enterprise. It entails joy but also suffering, gain but also loss, hope but also despair. —Neal Gabler, Life: The Movie, 1998

Discourse is a social as well as an intellectual activity; it entails interaction between minds, and it revolves around something possessed in common. —David A. Hollinger, In the American Province, (1985) 1992

He accepted the responsibility, with all that it entails.

a lavish wedding entails extensive planning and often staggering expense

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

As much as immigration and its exploitable sense of disorder has been electorally animating for the GOP base, the truth is that most people don’t actually realize what a mass deportation campaign would actually entail, starting with their own rights and civil liberties. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 7 Jan. 2025

Glaser, by contrast, was announced as host back in August and had been working on material ever since—a process that entailed testing jokes honed with a team of writers in front of dozens of live audiences. —Judy Berman, TIME, 6 Jan. 2025

Developing realistic strategies entails a nuanced understanding of your capabilities and the demands of your career aspirations. —Essence, 2 Jan. 2025

Marketing surrounding the launch will entail a campaign that speaks to the product’s wide-ranging appeal. —James Manso, WWD, 1 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English entailen, entaillen, from en- entry 1 + taile, taille limitation — more at tail entry 4

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

entail

1 of 2 verb

en·​tail in-ˈtā(ə)l 

1

: to limit the inheritance of (property) to the owner's direct descendants or to a certain group of them

2

: to have as a necessary part or result

the essay entails a lot of research

entailment

-mənt 

noun

entail

2 of 2 noun

en·​tail ˈen-ˌtāl  in-ˈtā(ə)l 

1

a

: an entailing of property

b

: an entailed estate

2

: the rule fixing descent by entailment

Legal Definition

entail

1 of 2 transitive verb

en·​tail in-ˈtāl 

: to make (an estate in real property) a fee tail : limit the descent of (real property) by restricting inheritance to specific descendants who cannot convey or transfer the property

estates are entailed entire on the eldest male heir

—Benjamin Franklin

entailment noun

entail

2 of 2 noun

1

: an act or instance of entailing real property

also : the practice of entailing property

the repeal of the laws of entail would prevent the accumulation and perpetuation of wealth in select families

—Thomas Jefferson

see also De Donis Conditionalibus

2

: an entailed estate in real property

if entails had not become barrable

—Eileen Spring

3

: the fixed line of descent of an entailed estate

Etymology

Transitive verb

Middle English entaillen, from en-, causative prefix + taille restriction on inheritance see tail