curfew

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   An official rule that people must stay indoors or off the streets after a particular time, usually because of danger or unrest.

   Grammar: Countable; often used with 'impose', 'lift', or 'break'.

   Patterns

   • impose a curfew
   • lift a curfew
   • break a curfew
   • a curfew on something

   The city imposed a curfew after the protests turned violent.

   The government lifted the curfew once the situation calmed down.

   Anyone caught breaking the curfew faced a fine.

2. 2nouncountable

   A rule set by parents or a school that says a young person must be home by a certain time at night.

   Grammar: Countable; often used in the phrase 'have a curfew'.

   Patterns

   • have a curfew
   • set a curfew
   • a midnight curfew

   My parents gave me a curfew of ten o'clock on school nights.

   She missed her curfew and had to explain why she was late.

   The school has a strict curfew for students living in the dormitory.

Word forms

Common combinations

impose a curfew

The mayor decided to impose a curfew to stop the looting.

lift a curfew

Authorities lifted the curfew after two weeks.

break a curfew

He was arrested for breaking the curfew.

midnight curfew

The town has a midnight curfew for teenagers.

curfew hours

During curfew hours, only emergency vehicles are allowed.

Synonyms and how they differ

lockdown

A stricter measure that keeps people inside their homes and closes most businesses; a curfew only restricts being outside at certain times.

restriction

A general word for any rule that limits what you can do; curfew is a specific time-based restriction.

Opposites

Word family

curfewed adjective

Describing a place or time when a curfew is in force.

Commonly confused: curfew or curfew?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “curfew”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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