curfew
Use Curfew in a sentence
fyu noun
1.
an order establishing a specific time in the evening after which certain regulations apply, especially that no civilians or other specified group of unauthorized persons may be outdoors or that places of public assembly must be closed.
2.
a regulation requiring a person to be home at a certain prescribed time, as imposed by a parent on a child.
3.
the time at which a daily curfew starts.
4.
the period during which a curfew is in effect.
5.
a signal, usually made with a bell, announcing the start of the time of restrictions under a curfew.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To curfew
00:10
Curfew
is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
curfew (ˈkɜːfjuː) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | an official regulation setting restrictions on movement, esp after a specific time at night |
| 2. | the time set as a deadline by such a regulation |
| 3. | in medieval Europe |
| a. the ringing of a bell to prompt people to extinguish fires and lights | |
| b. the time at which the curfew bell was rung | |
| c. the bell itself | |
| [C13: from Old French cuevrefeu, literally: cover the fire] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
curfew
early 14c., from Anglo-Fr. coeverfu (late 13c.), from O.Fr. covrefeu, lit. "cover fire," from couvre, imper. of couvrir "to cover" + feu "fire." The medieval practice of ringing a bell at fixed time in the evening as an order to bank the hearths and prepare for sleep. The original purpose was to prevent
conflagrations from untended fires. The modern extended sense of "periodic restriction of movement" had evolved by 1800s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Few risk going out much after dark, even though the curfew begins only at midnight.
Put the army on the streets if necessary and impose a curfew.
Patterson, the prime minister, responded by calling out the army and imposing a curfew.
The authorities responded with a two-day, shoot-on-sight curfew.
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