curfew

/'kə:fju:/

Thân thiện

The town's curfew begins at ten o'clock.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • An official order requiring people to stay indoors during specified hours: A "curfew" is a regulation, often imposed by authorities, that prohibits individuals from being in public places or outside their homes after a certain time at night or before a certain time in the morning.
   • The time at which such an order begins: "Curfew" can also refer to the specific hour when the restriction starts.
   • A signal, such as a bell or siren, marking the start of this restriction: Historically, a "curfew" was a bell rung to signal the time to extinguish fires and lights for the night.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The city imposed a strict curfew from 10 PM to 5 AM to maintain public order.
  • Teenagers must be home before their 11 PM curfew.
  • In medieval towns, the ringing of the curfew meant it was time to cover fires for the night.

Advanced Usage

• "to impose/lift a curfew": to put into effect or to remove a curfew order.
  • The government decided to lift the curfew after the situation stabilized.
• "to be under curfew": to be subject to a curfew order.
  • The entire neighborhood was under curfew for a week.
• "to break/violate a curfew": to be outside after the curfew time has started.
  • Anyone caught violating the curfew will be fined.

Variants and Related Words

• Curfewed (adj): Subject to a curfew.
  • The curfewed city was eerily quiet at night.
• Curfew breaker (n): A person who violates a curfew.

Synonyms

• Restriction: A limiting condition or measure.
• Prohibition: The act of forbidding something.
• Lockdown: A state of isolation or restricted access instituted as a security measure (often stricter and more continuous than a curfew).

Related Phrases

• Curfew order: The official directive establishing a curfew.
  • The police announced the new curfew order.
• Curfew time: The specific hour when the curfew begins.
  • What is the curfew time for minors in this area?

Idioms

• "Curfew hour": The time when a curfew starts.
  • As curfew hour approached, the streets emptied quickly.
• "To beat the curfew": To return home or reach a destination just before the curfew time begins.
  • We ran to beat the curfew and get home on time.

Học thuật

Noun

1. an order that after a specific time certain activities (as being outside on the streets) are prohibited
2. a signal (usually a bell) announcing the start of curfew restrictions
3. the time that the curfew signal is sounded