What does "entail" mean?
That which is entailed.
Entail
/ɛnˈteɪl/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: That which is entailed.
- Grammar: entail is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: add a codicil, affect, allegorize, allude to.
- Useful contrasts: contradict, contradiction, disprove.
- Usage evidence: The project will entail great expense upon the company.
How to use "entail"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "entail" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "entail" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "entail" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "entail" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "entail" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "add a codicil" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "entail", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 That which is entailed.
"A power of breaking the ancient entails, and of alienating their estates."
- 2 the act of entailing property; the creation of a fee tail from a fee simple wordnet
- 3 That which is entailed.; An estate in fee entailed, or limited in descent to a particular class of issue.
- 4 land received by fee tail wordnet
- 5 That which is entailed.; The rule by which the descent is fixed.
"All land acquired by inheritance must follow the Khasi law of entail, by which property descends from the mother to the youngest daughter, and again from the latter to her youngest daughter."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Delicately carved ornamental work; intaglio. obsolete
"A worke of rich entayle."
Verb
- 1 To imply, require, or invoke. transitive
"This activity will entail careful attention to detail."
- 2 limit the inheritance of property to a specific class of heirs wordnet
- 3 To settle or fix inalienably on a person or thing, or on a person and his descendants or a certain line of descendants; -- said especially of an estate; to bestow as a heritage. transitive
"Mr. Bennet's property consisted almost entirely in an estate of two thousand a year, which, unfortunately for his daughters, was entailed, in default of heirs male, on a distant relation; and their mother's fortune, though ample for her situation in life, could but ill supply the deficiency of his."
- 4 impose, involve, or imply as a necessary accompaniment or result wordnet
- 5 To appoint hereditary possessor. obsolete, transitive
"To entail him and his heirs unto the crown."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 have as a logical consequence wordnet
- 7 To cut or carve in an ornamental way. obsolete, transitive
"All bard with golden bendes, which were entayld / With curious antickes"
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The project will entail great expense upon the company."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "entail"?
Common synonyms include: add a codicil, affect, allegorize, allude to, argue, assume.
How do you use "entail" in a sentence?
The project will entail great expense upon the company.
How do you pronounce "entail"?
Pronounced /ɛnˈteɪl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English entaillen, from Old French entaillier, entailler (“to notch”, literally “to cut in”); from prefix en- + tailler (“to cut”), from Late Latin taliare, from Latin talea. Compare late Latin feudum talliatum (“a fee entailed, i.e., curtailed or limited”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English entaille (“carving”), from Old French entaille (“incision”), from the verb entailler. See above.