curator
noun
cu·ra·tor
ˈkyu̇r-ˌā-tər 
ˈkyər-;
kyu̇-ˈrā-;
ˈkyu̇r-ə-,
ˈkyər-
plural curators
: a person who oversees or manages a place (such as a museum or zoo) that offers exhibits
"My passion for animal care and collection management really drove me to become a curator."—
Scott Newland
Scott Newland
also
: a person at a museum, zoo, etc. who is in charge of a specific collection or subject area
the curator of manuscripts
Did you know?
In a good-sized art museum, each curator is generally responsible for a single department or collection: European painting, Asian sculpture, Native American art, and so on. Curatorial duties include acquiring new artworks, caring for and repairing objects already owned, discovering frauds and counterfeits, lending artworks to other museums, and mounting exhibitions of everything from Greek sculpture to 20th-century clothing.
Examples of curator in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The New York Times story about the Metropolitan Museum of Art security guard and artist, Armia Khalil, who struck up a conversation with an incognito museum curator, who went on to include him in a current Met exhibit as a result, is almost too good to believe.
—The Editors Of Artnews, ARTnews.com, 9 Jan. 2025
Influencers’ Impact On Holiday Shopping During the 2024 holiday season, influencers took on a new role: curators of holiday gift guides.
—Charles Nicholls, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
The exhibition was organized by senior curator Paulina Pobocha, who left her Hammer post for the Art Institute of Chicago in September after just nine months in Los Angeles.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2025
His collection, formed over more than 50 years, represents the finest collection of Italian states philately outside of Italy, according to Carrie Villar, the museum’s chief curator.
—Roger Catlin, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Dec. 2024
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The Editors Of Artnews, ARTnews.com, 9 Jan. 2025
Influencers’ Impact On Holiday Shopping During the 2024 holiday season, influencers took on a new role: curators of holiday gift guides.
—Charles Nicholls, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
The exhibition was organized by senior curator Paulina Pobocha, who left her Hammer post for the Art Institute of Chicago in September after just nine months in Los Angeles.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2025
His collection, formed over more than 50 years, represents the finest collection of Italian states philately outside of Italy, according to Carrie Villar, the museum’s chief curator.
—Roger Catlin, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for curator
Dictionary Entries Near curator
Cite this Entry
“Curator.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curator. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
curator
noun
cu·ra·tor
ˈkyu̇(ə)r-ˌāt-ər
kyu̇-ˈrāt-
kyu̇-ˈrāt-
ˈkyu̇r-ət-
: a person in charge of a museum or zoo
Legal Definition
curator
noun
cu·ra·tor
ˈkyu̇r-ˌā-tər, kyu̇-ˈrā-tər
in the civil law of Louisiana
: a person appointed by a court to care for the property of an absent person or to care for the person or property of someone mentally incapable of doing so compare committee, conservator, guardian, interdict, tutor
curatorship
noun
Etymology
Latin, guardian, from curare to take care of
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