Curtain — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈkər-tᵊn/ cur·tain

Meaning & Definition of Curtain

Curtain (noun)

  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
  3. the part of a bastioned front that connects two neighboring bastions

Curtain (verb)

  1. to furnish with or as if with curtains
  2. to veil or shut off with or as if with a curtain

Curtain (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. something that covers or conceals like a piece of cloth

    "there has long been a curtain of secrecy surrounding that group"

    similar: blanket, cloak, cope, cover, cover-up, covering, coverture, hood, mantle, mask, pall, penumbra, robe, shroud, veil, wraps
    related: blind, concealer, screen, shield, fig leaf, Potemkin village, Trojan horse, camouflage, disguise, facade, face, veneer, gloss, varnish

  2. pieces of cloth hung to darken, decorate, or divide a room

    "the kittens keep climbing the curtains"

    similar: drapery, drapes
    related: hanging(s), shade, tapestry, window shade

  3. the permanent stopping of all the vital bodily activities

    "it'll be curtains for us if we're caught"

    similar: death, decease, demise, dissolution, doom, end, exit, expiration, expiry, fate, grave, great divide, passage, passing, quietus, sleep
    related: casualty, fatality, martyrdom, self-destruction, self-murder, self-slaughter, suicide, annihilation, destruction, ending, extermination, ruin, assassination, execution, killing, massacre, slaughter
    opposite: birth, nativity
    near: existence, life, creation, genesis, origination, rise

Curtain (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to keep secret or shut off from view

    "she dropped her head in shame and curtained her face with her hair"

    similar: belie, blanket, blot out, cloak, conceal, cover, disguise, enshroud, hide, mask, obscure, occult, paper over, screen, shroud, suppress, veil
    related: bury, camouflage, cover (up), smother, gild, gloss (over), varnish, whitewash, becloud, bedim, befog, block, cloud, darken, eclipse, obstruct, occlude, overcast, overshadow, shade
    opposite: bare, disclose, display, divulge, expose, reveal, show, uncloak, uncover, unmask, unveil
    near: bring out, present, clarify, illuminate, advertise, air, broadcast, get out, proclaim, publicize, publish, spread

Related Entry: Curtain-raiser (noun)

Curtain-raiser is a different word from Curtain. The synonyms below are for curtain-raiser, not for curtain.

  1. a performance, activity, or event that precedes and sets the stage for the main event

    "the opening of the performing arts center proved to be a curtain-raiser for the rebirth of the city's downtown"

    similar: overture, preamble, preliminary, prelude, prologue, warm-up
    related: countdown, run-up (chiefly British), lead-in, kickoff, start

Related Entry: Curtain (off) (verb)

Curtain (off) is a different word from Curtain. The synonyms below are for curtain (off), not for curtain.

  1. as in screen (off)

    similar: screen (off), bar, barricade, block (off), blockade, close (off), guard, wall (off), dike, fence, gate, hedge, bolt, lock, obstruct
    opposite: open, unbar, reopen, unblock, unbolt

Related Entry: Curtain-raisers (noun)

Curtain-raisers is a different word from Curtain. The synonyms below are for curtain-raisers, not for curtain.

  1. a performance, activity, or event that precedes and sets the stage for the main event

    "the opening of the performing arts center proved to be a curtain-raiser for the rebirth of the city's downtown"

    similar: overtures, preambles, preliminaries, preludes, prologues, warm-ups
    related: countdowns, run-ups (chiefly British), lead-ins, kickoffs, starts

Related Entry: Ring down the curtain (on) (phrase)

Ring down the curtain (on) is a different word from Curtain. The synonyms below are for ring down the curtain (on), not for curtain.

  1. to bring (an event) to a natural or appropriate stopping point

    "The singer rang down the curtain on the performance with her most famous song."

    similar: close, close out, complete, conclude, end, finish, round (off or out), terminate, wind up, wrap up, put paid to (chiefly British)
    related: climax, crown, consummate, perfect, halt, stop, suspend
    opposite: begin, commence, inaugurate, open, start

Related Entry: Ring (verb)

Ring is a different word from Curtain. The synonyms below are for ring, not for curtain.

  1. to form a circle around

    "tall cypress trees ringing the park"

    similar: circle, compass, embrace, encircle, enclose, encompass, environ, gird, girdle, surround, wreathe
    related: circumscribe, close in, cordon (off), fence (in), hem (in), wall, beset, besiege, entrench, invest, swarm

  2. to travel completely around

    "the line of season ticket buyers ringed the block"

    similar: circle, circuit, circumnavigate, circumvent, compass, encircle, girdle, orbit, round
    related: circumambulate, cross, perambulate, traverse

Related Entry: Ring (verb)

Ring is a different word from Curtain. The synonyms below are for ring, not for curtain.

  1. to make the clear sound heard when metal vibrates

    "I didn't hear the doorbell ring"

    similar: bong, chime, knell, peal, toll
    related: chink, clang, clank, clash, clink, ding, ding-dong, gong, jangle, jingle, ping, plink, plunk, tang, tingle, tinkle, echo, resonate, resound, reverberate

Related Entry: Ring (up) (verb)

Ring (up) is a different word from Curtain. The synonyms below are for ring (up), not for curtain.

  1. to make a telephone call to

    "our friend rang us up to see if we wanted to go to a cricket match"

    similar: call, dial, phone, telephone
    related: beep, buzz, call in, cold-call

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Curtain

The most common words with a similar meaning to Curtain:

blanket, cloak, cope, cover, cover-up, covering, coverture, hood, mantle, mask, pall, penumbra, robe, shroud, veil, wraps, drapery, drapes, death, decease, demise, dissolution, doom, end, exit, expiration, expiry, fate, grave, great divide, passage, passing, quietus, sleep, belie, blot out, conceal, disguise, enshroud, hide

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Curtain

Words with the opposite meaning of Curtain:

birth, nativity, bare, disclose, display, divulge, expose, reveal, show, uncloak, uncover, unmask, unveil

Related Words for Curtain

blind, concealer, shield, fig leaf, Potemkin village, Trojan horse, camouflage, facade, face, veneer, gloss, varnish, hanging(s), shade, tapestry, window shade, casualty, fatality, martyrdom, self-destruction, self-murder, self-slaughter, suicide, annihilation, destruction, ending, extermination, ruin, assassination, execution

Near Antonyms of Curtain

existence, life, creation, genesis, origination, rise, bring out, present, clarify, illuminate, advertise, air, broadcast, get out, proclaim, publicize, publish, spread

Word Forms of Curtain

Inflections: curtained, curtaining

Derived words: curtainless (adjective)

Origin & Etymology of Curtain

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

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Curtain

Words & Phrases Containing Curtain

curtain call, curtain lecture, curtain-raiser, curtain wall, curtain off, curtain time, bamboo curtain, drop curtain

Frequently Asked Questions about Curtain

What does "Curtain" mean?

"Curtain" means a hanging screen usually capable of being drawn back or up; especially, window drapery. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: a hanging screen usually capable of being drawn back or up; especially, window drapery. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Curtain"?

Other words for "Curtain" include blanket, cloak, cope, cover, cover-up, covering, coverture and hood. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Curtain" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Curtain"?

There are 95 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Curtain". Common alternatives include blanket, cloak, cope, cover, cover-up, covering, coverture, hood, mantle and mask.

What is the opposite of "Curtain"?

Antonyms of "Curtain" include birth, nativity, bare, disclose, display, divulge, expose and reveal. Near antonyms include existence, life, creation and genesis.

How do you use "Curtain" in a sentence?

Examples of "Curtain" in a sentence: "there has long been a curtain of secrecy surrounding that group"; "the kittens keep climbing the curtains"; "it'll be curtains for us if we're caught".

Is "Curtain" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Curtain" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Curtain" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B1-level word, "Curtain" is typical of Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET), IELTS band 4.0–5.0, TOEFL iBT 42–71, PTE Academic 43–58, TOEIC Listening & Reading 550+.

How do you pronounce "Curtain"?

"Curtain" is pronounced /ˈkər-tᵊn/ and divided into syllables as cur·tain.