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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

curfew

/ˈkɝ.fju/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 1:05
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What does curfew mean?

noun

  1. Any regulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time.
  2. A regulation requiring loud or disruptive activities such as concerts and sporting events to end by a certain time.
  3. The time when such restriction begins.
More meanings (4)

noun

  1. A signal indicating this time.
  2. A fireplace accessory designed to bank a fire by completely covering the embers.
  3. The evening bell, which continued to be rung in many towns after the regulation itself became obsolete.
  4. (historical) A regulation in feudal Europe by which fires had to be covered up or put out at a certain fixed time in the evening, marked by the ringing of an evening bell.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/ˈkɝ.fju/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

Wamba presently appeared to urge the same request, observing that a cup after midnight was worth three after curfew.
Walter ScottIvanhoe: A RomanceProject Gutenberg ebook #82
The curfew was still rung in Casterbridge, and it was utilized by the inhabitants as a signal for shutting their shops.
Thomas HardyThe Mayor of CasterbridgeProject Gutenberg ebook #143
More book examples (3)
Natives must not be out after the curfew bell without a pass.
Mark TwainFollowing the Equator: A Journey Around the WorldProject Gutenberg ebook #2895
He walked with her back to the château; the curfew had tolled for the laborious villagers of Fleurières, and the street was unlighted and empty.
Henry JamesThe AmericanProject Gutenberg ebook #177
The second cock hath crow’d, The curfew bell hath rung, ’tis three o’clock.
William ShakespeareThe Complete Works of William ShakespeareProject Gutenberg ebook #100