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curfew
[kur-fyoo]
noun
an order establishing a specific time in the evening after which certain regulations apply, especially that no civilians or other specified group of unauthorized persons may be outdoors or that places of public assembly must be closed.
a regulation requiring a person to be home at a certain prescribed time, as imposed by a parent on a child.
the time at which a daily curfew starts.
the period during which a curfew is in effect.
a signal, usually made with a bell, announcing the start of the time of restrictions under a curfew.
a bell for sounding a curfew.
(in medieval Europe) the ringing of a bell at a fixed hour in the evening as a signal for covering or extinguishing fires.
a metal cover for shielding a banked or unattended fire.
curfew
/ ˈɜːː /
noun
an official regulation setting restrictions on movement, esp after a specific time at night
the time set as a deadline by such a regulation
the ringing of a bell to prompt people to extinguish fires and lights
the time at which the curfew bell was rung
the bell itself
51Թ History and Origins
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of curfew1
Example Sentences
The areas surrounding downtown, which Solis represents, have been been hit particularly hard, amid protests, a curfew and a raid at Ambiance Apparel that ensnared dozens of people.
Mayor Karen Bass on Tuesday lifted the downtown Los Angeles curfew that has been in place for one week.
The mayor’s announcement comes a day after she changed the start time of the nightly curfew from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., allowing businesses to remain open later.
While downtown L.A., a site of many heated protests, had been placed under a nighttime curfew, Saturday’s “No Kings” marches were broadly peaceful, with only 38 arrests in Los Angeles, mostly for curfew violations.
A curfew downtown has mitigated the destruction but brought economic activity in the area — still ailing from the pandemic — to a crawl.
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When To Use
A curfew is a specific time of day at which, by rule, you must be at home. It can also refer to the rule itself, or the period during which you must stay home.The word is typically used in two main ways: the curfew set by parents for their children, and the kind of curfew ordered by the government to limit public assembly after a certain time of night, especially during times of war or civil unrest.Parental curfews typically require the person under curfew to be home by a certain time at night.Government curfews generally require the same thing, but often have other conditions. Usually, civilians aren’t allowed outside after the stated time and must stay in their homes until the curfew is over. Such curfews are typically enforced by police or the military, and those who violate the curfew can be subject to consequences like fines or jail time.Government curfews are usually ordered to prevent large gatherings of people, such as those protesting, often with the stated intention of preventing violence or destruction of property. However, such curfews are sometimes criticized for violating the rights of citizens to peacefully assemble.Examples:
- If I’m not home by curfew, my parents are going to ground me for a month.
- After another night of protests, the mayor has ordered a citywide curfew starting at 6 p.m.
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