curfew

C3U1R1F4E1W4
UK/ˈkɜː.fjuː/US/ˈkɝ.fju/

noun

Any regulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time.

“The city has been reported calm after a curfew was imposed.”

OriginMiddle English curfu ← Old French cuevre-fu →
Less commonScrabble 14
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Meanings

nouncurfew (plural curfews)

plural curfews · alternative obsolete cover-few

  1. Any regulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time.

    The city has been reported calm after a curfew was imposed.

    2 more examples

    Curfews have been curbing / The end of liberty

    1981, “This Is Radio Clash”, performed by The Clash

    Localities across New Jersey imposed curfews to prevent looting. In Monmouth, Ocean and other counties, people waited for hours for gasoline at the few stations that had electricity. Supermarket shelves were stripped bare.

    2012 October 31, David M. Halbfinger, “Hurricane Sandy”, in New York Times, retrieved 31 Oct 2012
  2. A regulation requiring loud or disruptive activities such as concerts and sporting events to end by a certain time.
    1 more example

    The curfew was introduced in 2009, when the All England Club installed a retractable roof on Centre Court. That meant that play could go on later at a tournament that previously ran to the sun’s clock, but local residents — and their council — did not want fans streaming past their houses in the early hours.

    2025 July 7, Charlie Eccleshare, “Wimbledon’s curfew rule explained: The tennis Grand Slam with an early bedtime”, in The Athletic
  3. The time when such restriction begins.
  4. A signal indicating this time.
  5. A fireplace accessory designed to bank a fire by completely covering the embers.
  6. historicalA 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.
  7. The evening bell, which continued to be rung in many towns after the regulation itself became obsolete.

    I have my lodging neere unto a tower, where both evening and morning a very great bell doth chime Ave marie and Cover-few, which jangling doth even make the tower to shake […].

    , Folio Society, 2006, vol.1, p.95

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
chime

Origin

  1. Old Frenchcuevre-fu
  2. Middle Englishcurfu
  3. Englishcurfew

From Middle English curfu, from Old French cuevre-fu (French couvre-feu), from the imperative of covrir (“to cover”) + fu (“fire”). Compare kerchief.

More words from Middle English, Old French

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans aandklok
  • aandklokregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
Arabic مَنْعُ التَّجَوُّل, حَظْرُ التَّجَوُّل
  • مَنْعُ التَّجَوُّل (manʕu t-tajawwul)regulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • حَظْرُ التَّجَوُّل (ḥaẓru t-tajawwul)regulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • مَوْعِد الحَظْر (mawʕid al-ḥaẓr)time when such restriction begins
Bulgarian полице́йски час, вече́рен час
  • полице́йски час (policéjski čas)regulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • вече́рен час (večéren čas)regulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • вече́рен час (večéren čas)historical regulation requiring fire to be covered/extinguished
  • вече́рна камба́на (večérna kambána)evening bell
Catalan toc de queda, cobrefoc
  • toc de quedaregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • cobrefocregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • toc de quedatime when such restriction begins
  • toc de quedasignal indicating this time
Chinese Mandarin 宵禁
  • 宵禁 (xiāojìn)regulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
Czech zákaz vycházení
  • zákaz vycházeníregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
Danish udgangsforbud, spærretid
  • udgangsforbudregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • spærretidtime when such restriction begins
  • aftenklokkeevening bell
Dutch avondklok, uitgaansverbod
  • avondklokregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • uitgaansverbodregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • avondkloktime when such restriction begins
  • spertijdtime when such restriction begins
  • avondklokevening bell
Esperanto elirmalpermeso
  • elirmalpermesoregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
Estonian liikumiskeeld
  • liikumiskeeldregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
Finnish ulkonaliikkumiskielto, ulkonaliikkumiskiellon alkamisaika
  • ulkonaliikkumiskieltoregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • ulkonaliikkumiskiellon alkamisaikatime when such restriction begins
  • ulkonaliikkumiskiellon merkkisignal indicating this time
  • tulen peittävä suojusfire accessory
  • määräys sammuttaa tulet yöksihistorical regulation requiring fire to be covered/extinguished
  • iltasoittoevening bell
French couvre-feu, couvre-feu
  • couvre-feuregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • couvre-feusignal indicating this time
  • couvre-feufire accessory
  • couvre-feuhistorical regulation requiring fire to be covered/extinguished
  • couvre-feuevening bell
German Ausgangssperre, Ausgehverbot
  • Ausgangssperreregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • Ausgehverbotregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • Sperrstundetime when such restriction begins
  • Zapfenstreichsignal indicating this time
  • Abendläutenevening bell
Greek απαγόρευση κυκλοφορίας
  • απαγόρευση κυκλοφορίας (apagórefsi kykloforías)regulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
Hebrew עוצר \ עֹצֶר
  • עוצר \ עֹצֶר ('ótser)regulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
Hindi करफ़्यू, करफ़्यू
  • करफ़्यू (karafyū)regulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • करफ़्यू (karafyū)signal indicating this time
Hungarian kijárási tilalom
  • kijárási tilalomregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
Icelandic útgöngubann
  • útgöngubannregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
Indonesian jam malam
  • jam malamregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
Italian coprifuoco, coprifuoco
  • coprifuocoregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • coprifuocotime when such restriction begins
  • coprifuocosignal indicating this time
  • coprifuocohistorical regulation requiring fire to be covered/extinguished
Japanese 戒厳令, 外出禁止令
  • 戒厳令 (kaigenrei)regulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • 外出禁止令 (gaishutsu kinshirei)regulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • 夜間外出禁止令 (yakan gaishutsu kinshirei)regulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • 門限 (mongen)time when such restriction begins
Korean 통행금지령, 외출금지령
  • 통행금지령 (tonghaenggeumjiryeong)regulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • 외출금지령 (oechulgeumjiryeong)regulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • 통금 (tonggeum)regulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • 문한 (munhan)time when such restriction begins
Latin ignitegium
  • ignitegiumregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
Latvian policijas stunda, komandanta stunda
  • policijas stundaregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • komandanta stundaregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • komandantstundaregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • policijas stundatime when such restriction begins
  • komandanta stundatime when such restriction begins
  • komandantstundatime when such restriction begins
Lithuanian komendanto valanda
  • komendanto valandaregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
Māori rāhui haerepō, wā rāhui
  • rāhui haerepōregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • wā rāhuiregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • rāhui haereregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
Norwegian Bokmål portforbud
  • portforbudregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
Polish godzina policyjna
  • godzina policyjnaregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
Portuguese toque de recolher, toque de recolher
  • toque de recolherregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • toque de recolhersignal indicating this time
Romanian interdicție de ieșire din casă, oră de interdicție
  • interdicție de ieșire din casăregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • oră de interdicțietime when such restriction begins
  • semnal de stingeresignal indicating this time
  • tocsinsignal indicating this time
  • stare de asediuhistorical regulation requiring fire to be covered/extinguished
  • clopot de alarmăevening bell
Russian коменда́нтский час, коменда́нтский час
  • коменда́нтский час (komendántskij čas)regulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • коменда́нтский час (komendántskij čas)time when such restriction begins
Slovak zákaz vychádzania
  • zákaz vychádzaniaregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
Spanish toque de queda, cubrefuego
  • toque de quedaregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • cubrefuegoregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • toque de quedatime when such restriction begins
  • toque de quedasignal indicating this time
Swedish utegångsförbud, aftonringning
  • utegångsförbudregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • aftonringningevening bell
Tamil ஊரடங்கு
  • ஊரடங்கு (ūraṭaṅku)regulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
Thai เคอร์ฟิว
  • เคอร์ฟิว (kəə-fiu)regulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
Turkish sokağa çıkma yasağı
  • sokağa çıkma yasağıregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
Ukrainian коменда́нтська годи́на
  • коменда́нтська годи́на (komendántsʹka hodýna)regulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
Vietnamese lệnh giới nghiêm, lúc giới nghiêm
  • lệnh giới nghiêmregulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time
  • lúc giới nghiêmtime when such restriction begins
Cite this entry
APA

curfew. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/curfew

MLA

“curfew.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/curfew. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “curfew,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/curfew.

Source: curfew on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.