curtail
Reduce in scope
To curtail is to reduce or cut short something that would otherwise be larger or longer.
You curtail expenses, curtail freedoms, or curtail a visit.
The word suggests deliberate limitation rather than natural ending: Budget cuts curtailed the program's expansion.
They curtailed their vacation when the money ran out.
To make smaller
- decreaseBecome or make smaller
- lessenReduce in degree
- cut backReduce or curtail
- scale backReduce in extent
pare down · downsize · shrink · minimize · contract · deduct · deplete · downscale
Cut off abruptly
- abbreviateReduce word length
- abridgeShorten by omission
- condenseMake more compact
- cut shortEnd before completion
dock · lop · prune · trim · clip · crop · snip · foreshorten
Maximum allowed extent
- constrainTo limit or restrict
- restrainLimit freedom of movement
- inhibitTo restrain or hinder
- hamperObstruct or clothes basket
hinder · impede · suppress · stifle · curb · check · contain · hold back
Protected individual rights
- rightsJustified claims to freedoms
- spendingOutlaying of funds
- budgetPlan for spending
- privilegesRights granted to some
powers · activities · operations · movement · access · speech · funding · services
diminish
To make smaller
scale back · pare down · downsize · shrink · minimize · contract · deduct · deplete · downscale · taper
truncate
Cut off abruptly
- abbreviateReduce word length
- abridgeShorten by omission
- condenseMake more compact
cut short · dock · lop · prune · trim · clip · crop · snip · foreshorten · cut off
limit
Maximum allowed extent
hamper · hinder · impede · suppress · stifle · curb · check · contain · hold back · rein in
liberties
Protected individual rights
privileges · powers · activities · operations · movement · access · speech · funding · services · hours
- Reduceshrink, diminish, decrease, lessen, reduce
- stairsstair, stairs, treads, steps, staircase
- pruningprune, topiary, clip, hedge trimming, trim
- compressioncompress, compression, compressor, compressing, compact
- deletiondelete, erase, erasure, cross out, strike out
- frugalityfrugality, thrift, frugal, penny-pinching, economize