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
Be the curator of what employees want to hear or see.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
For the inaugural exhibition, the curators are Pamela Golbin, previously head curator of the Department of Fashion and Textiles of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, and Anna Coliva, previously director of Galleria Borghese, respectively in charge of fashion and art.
—Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 22 May 2025
Luke is a treasure hunter and Charlotte a museum curator, but when Luke turns up on his latest adventure, Charlotte ends up along for the ride.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 22 May 2025
Lauren O’Connell, a millennial herself, is the curator of contemporary art at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art in Arizona.
—Suzanne Wright, USA Today, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for curator
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Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
For the inaugural exhibition, the curators are Pamela Golbin, previously head curator of the Department of Fashion and Textiles of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, and Anna Coliva, previously director of Galleria Borghese, respectively in charge of fashion and art.
—Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 22 May 2025
Luke is a treasure hunter and Charlotte a museum curator, but when Luke turns up on his latest adventure, Charlotte ends up along for the ride.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 22 May 2025
Lauren O’Connell, a millennial herself, is the curator of contemporary art at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art in Arizona.
—Suzanne Wright, USA Today, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for curator
Cite this Entry
“Curator.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curator. Accessed 27 May. 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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