From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcurtailcur‧tail /kɜːˈteɪl $ kɜːr-/ ●○○ verb [transitive] formal REDUCEto reduce or limit something SYN cut The new law will curtail police powers.severely/drastically curtail Budget cuts have drastically curtailed training programs. —curtailment noun [countable, uncountable]→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
curtail• Local authorities' ability to plan and develop a co-ordinated housing policy has been curtailed.• Taxes will have to be raised or countercyclical spending will have to be sharply curtailed.• Budget cuts forced schools to curtail after-school programs.• The broiler industry, controlled by a handful of large companies, is curtailing production because of record high feed prices.• Their refusal to curtail spending plans and to increase the burden on poll tax payers is expected.• Then their freedom is curtailed, their choices limited and their frustrations increased.• A six-month Pentagon review recommended in December that the program be curtailed to combat a projected $ 15 billion overrun.• The Government also wants private firms to curtail wage rises, currently running at around six percent.severely/drastically curtail• Since 1979, public sector housing has been severely curtailed.• Specialised services on drugs and undercover activity were severely curtailed.• We will ensure that their influence is severely curtailed and, if possible, removed.• Arkies will never agree to one which doesn't severely curtail our freedoms.From Longman Business Dictionarycurtailcur‧tail /kɜːˈteɪlkɜːr-/ verb [transitive] to reduce or limit somethingThe Federal Bank’s critics in Congress are eager to curtail its power.Investment plans may be curtailed by high interest rates.→ See Verb tableOrigin curtail (1400-1500) curtal “to cut short an animal's tail” ((15-17 centuries)), from Old French courtault “animal with a shortened tail”; influenced by tail 