ENGLISH
REFERENCE

entail

v.
C1 Advanced US //ɛnˈteɪɫ// UK //ɛntˈeɪl// en·tail Archaic

v. to involve something as a necessary part or result. If a job entails travel, you must travel to do the job correctly.

v. to involve or require something as an inevitable consequence. Transitive; typically takes a noun phrase or a gerund as its direct object.


SIMPLE

The new job will entail a lot of travel.

CONTEXTUAL

Repairing the old bridge will entail closing the main road for at least three months this summer.

COMPLEX

While the proposal promises significant long-term savings, it would necessarily entail a substantial initial investment that the current budget cannot support without external financing.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

From Middle English entaillen, from Old French entaillier, entailler (“to notch”, literally “to cut in”); from prefix en- + tailler (“to cut”), from Late Latin taliare, from Latin talea. Compare late Latin feudum talliatum (“a fee entailed, i.e., curtailed or limited”).

Etymology 2

From Middle English entaille (“carving”), from Old French entaille (“incision”), from the verb entailler. See above.

Usage

The verb is transitive and often followed by a gerund (e.g., 'entails moving') rather than an infinitive.

Pitfall

The project entails to work late.The project entails working late.When followed by another action, this verb requires the -ing form (gerund) rather than the 'to' infinitive.

© 2026 English Reference