noun
curfew
KUR-fyoo/ˈkɜːrfjuː/
A rule requiring people to be home or indoors by a set time.
The family stays indoors to observe the late-night curfew.
Etymology
Literally “cover fire,” curfew first named an evening signal to bank hearth fires and prepare for sleep. That nightly order later broadened into a restriction on people's movement.
In context
a woman who was standing in front of the hut at curfew. The guard didn't give the victim a chance to go back into the barracks, but instead immediately pulled out her gun and shot her.
More examples
- Her parents set a curfew of ten o'clock.
- The curfew ended before dawn.
- They returned home before curfew.
Forms
curfew · curfews
Similar words
- restriction
- A broader limit on conduct or movement.
- deadline
- A latest permitted time, without the requirement to remain indoors.