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# curfew

noun (a curfew, curfews)

«curfew» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A curfew is a rule that says people must be indoors or at home by a certain time, especially at night. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/curfew/#m1)
2. A curfew is the time by which a child or teenager must be home, set by their parents. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/curfew/#m2)
3. (history) In the Middle Ages, the curfew was a bell rung in the evening telling people to put out their fires. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/curfew/#m3)

### In the lessons

In family life, teenagers often have a curfew («be home by 9»). In news and history, governments may set a curfew during a war, riots or an emergency. It tells the reader there is a deadline for being off the streets. Phrases: «break a curfew», «impose a curfew», «a 10 o'clock curfew», «after curfew».

### Examples

- My big sister's curfew is ten o'clock on Saturdays. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/curfew/#x1)
- The army set a curfew, and nobody could go out after dark. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/curfew/#x2)
- He broke his curfew and was grounded for a week. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/curfew/#x3)
- The campers had to be in their tents by curfew. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/curfew/#x4)
- During the storm, the town had a night-time curfew. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/curfew/#x5)
- In medieval towns, a bell rang for curfew. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/curfew/#x6)

### Note

Countable. Pronounced «KUR-fyoo». From old French «cover fire» (covre-feu). In a time problem, a 9:30 curfew means you must be home at or before 9:30.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «curfew» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/curfew/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«curfew» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/curfew.html) on Mova free.