cut

[kuht] verb, cut, cut·ting, adjective, noun
verb (used with object)
1.
to penetrate with or as if with a sharp-edged instrument or object: He cut his finger.
2.
to divide with or as if with a sharp-edged instrument; sever; carve: to cut a rope.
3.
to detach with or as if with a sharp-edged instrument; separate from the main body; lop off: to cut a slice from a loaf of bread.
4.
to hew or saw down; fell: to cut timber.
5.
to trim by clipping, shearing, paring, or pruning: to cut hair.
6.
to mow; reap; harvest: to cut grain.
7.
to abridge or shorten; edit by omitting a part or parts: to cut a speech.
8.
to repeatedly inflict injury on (oneself) by deliberately cutting the skin, as to cope with stress or negative emotions: Some teenagers cut themselves to stop their emotional pain.
9.
to lower, reduce, diminish, or curtail (sometimes followed by down ): to cut prices.
10.
to dilute; make less thick: to cut wine.
11.
to dissolve: That detergent cuts grease effectively.
12.
to intersect; cross: One line cuts another at right angles.
13.
Informal. to cease; discontinue (often followed by out ): Cut the kidding. Let's cut out the pretense.
14.
to stop; halt the running of, as a liquid or an engine (often followed by off ): The pilot cut the engines and glided in for a landing. Cut off the hot water.
15.
to dilute or adulterate (a drug) by mixing it with other substances.
16.
to grow (a tooth or teeth) through the gum: The baby is cutting his teeth.
17.
to type, write, or draw on (a stencil) for mimeographing.
18.
to make or fashion by cutting, as a statue, jewel, or garment.
19.
Glassmaking. to produce a pattern (in glass) by grinding and polishing.
20.
to refuse to recognize socially; shun ostentatiously: Her friends began to cut her as the season progressed.
21.
to strike sharply, as with a whip.
22.
to absent oneself from: allowed to cut three classes per semester.
23.
Movies, Television.
a.
to stop (a scene or shot being filmed).
b.
to edit (a film).
24.
Computers. to remove (selected text, images, etc.) from a file to store in temporary memory until pasted elsewhere. Compare copy ( def 15 ), paste ( def 13 ).
25.
to wound the feelings of severely.
26.
Cards.
a.
to divide (a pack of cards) at random into two or more parts, by removing cards from the top.
b.
to take (a card) from a deck.
27.
to record a selection on (a phonograph record or tape); make a recording of.
28.
to castrate or geld.
29.
Sports. to hit (a ball) with either the hand or some instrument so as to change its course and often to cause it to spin.
30.
to hollow out; excavate; dig: to cut a trench.
31.
Cricket. to strike and send off (a ball) in front of the batsman, and parallel to the wicket.
32.
Slang. to be a nonplaying dealer, manager, or supervisor of (a card game, crap game, or other gambling game) in return for a percentage of the money bet or sometimes for a fee.
verb (used without object)
33.
to penetrate or divide something, as with a sharp-edged instrument; make an incision: The scissors cut well.
34.
to admit of being cut: Butter cuts easily.
35.
to repeatedly inflict self-injury by deliberately cutting the skin.
36.
to pass, go, or come, especially in the most direct way (usually followed by across, through, in, etc.): to cut across an empty lot.
37.
Movies, Television.
a.
to shift suddenly from one shot to another: Cut to the barroom interior.
b.
to stop the action of a scene: used as a command by a director.
38.
to make a sudden or sharp turn in direction; change direction suddenly; swerve: We cut to the left to avoid hitting the child.
39.
to strike a person, animal, etc., sharply, as with a whip.
40.
to wound the feelings severely: His criticism cut deep.
41.
(of the teeth) to grow through the gums.
42.
Computers. to remove selected text, images, etc., from a file for storage in temporary memory until pasted elsewhere. Compare copy ( def 17 ), paste ( def 14 ).
43.
Cards. to cut the cards.
44.
Informal. to leave hastily: to cut for the hills.
45.
(of a horse) to interfere.
00:10
Cut out is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
adjective
46.
that has been subjected to cutting; divided into pieces by cutting; detached by cutting: cut flowers.
47.
fashioned by cutting; having the surface shaped or ornamented by grinding, polishing, or the like: cut diamonds.
48.
reduced by or as if by cutting: cut whiskey; cut prices.
49.
Botany. incised; cleft.
50.
castrated; gelded.
51.
Slang. drunk.
noun
52.
the act of cutting; a stroke or a blow, as with a knife, whip, etc.
53.
the result of cutting, as an incision, wound, passage, or channel.
54.
a piece cut off: a cut of a pie.
55.
Informal. a share, especially of earnings or profits: His agent's cut is 20 percent.
56.
a haircut, often with a styling.
57.
a reduction in price, salary, etc.
58.
the manner or fashion in which anything is cut: the cut of a dress.
59.
style; manner; kind: We need a man of his cut in this firm.
60.
a passage or course straight across or through: a cut through the woods.
61.
an excision or omission of a part.
62.
a part or quantity of text deleted or omitted.
63.
a quantity cut, especially of lumber.
64.
a refusal to recognize an acquaintance.
65.
an act, speech, etc., that wounds the feelings.
66.
an engraved plate or block of wood used for printing.
67.
a printed picture or illustration.
68.
an absence, as from a school class, at which attendance is required.
69.
Butchering. part of an animal usually cut as one piece.
70.
Cards. a cutting of the cards.
71.
Sports.
a.
the act of cutting a ball.
b.
the spin imparted.
72.
Fencing. a blow with the edge of the blade instead of the tip.
73.
one of several pieces of straw, paper, etc., used in drawing lots.
74.
Movies, Television.
a.
the instantaneous or gradual transition from one shot or scene to another in an edited film.
b.
an edited version of a film. Compare rough cut, final cut.
c.
an act or instance of editing a film.
75.
an individual song, musical piece, or other similar material on a record or tape.
76.
any product of the fractional distillation of petroleum.
Verb phrases
77.
cut across, to precede or go beyond considerations of; transcend: The new tax program cuts across party lines.
78.
cut down,
a.
Also, cut down on. to lessen; decrease: to cut down on between-meal snacks.
b.
to strike and cause to fall: The first force to attempt an advance was swiftly cut down.
c.
to destroy, kill, or disable: The hurricane cut down everything in its path.
d.
to remodel, remake, or reduce in size, as a garment: She had her old coat cut down to fit her daughter.
79.
cut in,
a.
to move or thrust oneself, a vehicle, etc., abruptly between others: A speeding car cut in and nearly caused an accident.
b.
to interpose; interrupt: to cut in with a remark.
c.
Informal. to interrupt a dancing couple in order to dance with one of them.
d.
to blend (shortening) into flour by means of a knife.
80.
cut off,
a.
to intercept.
b.
to interrupt.
c.
to stop suddenly; discontinue.
d.
to halt the operation of; turn off.
e.
to shut off or shut out.
f.
to disinherit.
g.
to sever; separate.
81.
cut out,
a.
to omit; delete; excise.
b.
to oust and replace a rival; supplant.
c.
to part an animal from a herd.
d.
to plan; arrange: He has his work cut out for him.
e.
to move out of one's lane of traffic.
f.
Also, cut on out. Slang. to leave suddenly.
g.
Informal. to refrain from; stop: to cut out smoking.
h.
(of an engine, machine, etc.) to stop running.
82.
cut up,
a.
to cut into pieces or sections.
b.
to lacerate; wound.
c.
to distress mentally; injure.
d.
Informal. to play pranks; misbehave: They got scolded for cutting up in church.
Idioms
83.
a cut above, somewhat superior to another (thing, person, etc.) in some respect: Her work is a cut above anyone else's.
84.
cut a caper/figure, to perform a spirited, brief, outlandish dance step, especially as a result of euphoria.
85.
cut a figure,
a.
cut a caper.
b.
to give a certain impression of oneself: He cut a distinguished figure in his tuxedo.
86.
cut and run,
a.
Nautical. to cut the anchor cable and set sail, as in an emergency.
b.
to leave as hurriedly as possible; flee.
87.
cut back,
a.
to shorten by cutting off the end.
b.
to curtail or discontinue: Steel production has been cut back in recent months.
c.
to return to an earlier episode or event, as in the plot of a novel.
d.
Football. to reverse direction suddenly by moving in the diagonally opposite course.
88.
cut both ways, to have, produce, or result in advantages as well as disadvantages: This decision will inevitably cut both ways.
89.
cut/chop down to size, to reduce the stature or importance of: The novelist had a big ego until the critics cut him down to size.
90.
cut it, Informal.
a.
to achieve or maintain a desired level of performance: The aging football player decided he couldn't cut it any longer and retired.
b.
to be effective or successful; satisfy a need.
91.
cut it out, Informal. to stop doing something: That hurts! Cut it out!
92.
cut no ice. ice ( def 25 ).
93.
cut out for, fitted for; capable of: He wasn't cut out for military service.
Origin:
1175–1225; Middle English cutten, kytten, kitten, Old English *cyttan; akin to Old Swedish kotta to cut, Old Norse kuti little knife

Related forms
half-cut, adjective
mis·cut, verb, mis·cut, mis·cut·ting.
out·cut, verb (used with object), out·cut, out·cut·ting.
re·cut, verb, re·cut, re·cut·ting.
well-cut, adjective

Synonyms
1. gash, slash, slit, lance. 2. cleave, sunder, bisect. Cut, chop, hack, hew refer to giving a sharp blow or stroke. Cut is a general word for this: to cut the grass. To chop is to cut by giving repeated blows with something sharp, as an ax. To chop and to hew are practically interchangeable, but hew suggests keeping to a definite purpose: to chop or hew down a tree; to hew out a clearing. To hack is to cut or chop roughly and unevenly: to hack off a limb. 7. abbreviate, curtail.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To cut out
Collins
World English Dictionary
cut (kʌt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—vb (sometimes foll by out) (often foll by down) (when intr, foll by across or through) , cuts, cutting, cut
1.  to open up or incise (a person or thing) with a sharp edge or instrument; gash
2.  (of a sharp instrument) to penetrate or incise (a person or thing)
3.  to divide or be divided with or as if with a sharp instrument: cut a slice of bread
4.  (intr) to use a sharp-edged instrument or an instrument that cuts
5.  (tr) to trim or prune by or as if by clipping: to cut hair
6.  (tr) to reap or mow (a crop, grass, etc)
7.  (tr) to geld or castrate
8.  to make, form, or shape by cutting: to cut a suit
9.  (tr) to hollow or dig out; excavate: to cut a tunnel through the mountain
10.  to strike (an object) sharply
11.  (tr) sport to hit (a ball) with a downward slicing stroke so as to impart spin or cause it to fall short
12.  cricket to hit (the ball) to the off side, usually between cover and third man, with a roughly horizontal bat
13.  to hurt or wound the feelings of (a person), esp by malicious speech or action
14.  informal (tr) to refuse to recognize; snub
15.  informal (tr) to absent oneself from (an activity, location, etc), esp without permission or in haste: to cut class
16.  (tr) to abridge, shorten, or edit by excising a part or parts
17.  to lower, reduce, or curtail: to cut losses
18.  (tr) to dilute or weaken: heroin that was cut with nontoxic elements
19.  (tr) to dissolve or break up: to cut fat
20.  to cross or traverse: the footpath cuts through the field
21.  (intr) to make a sharp or sudden change in direction; veer
22.  to grow (teeth) through the gums or (of teeth) to appear through the gums
23.  (intr) films
 a.  to call a halt to a shooting sequence
 b.  (foll by to) to move quickly to another scene
24.  films to edit (film)
25.  (tr) to switch off (a light, car engine, etc)
26.  (tr) (of a performer, recording company, etc) to make (a record or tape of a song, concert, performance, etc)
27.  cards
 a.  to divide (the pack) at random into two parts after shuffling
 b.  (intr) to pick cards from a spread pack to decide dealer, partners, etc
28.  (tr) to remove (material) from an object by means of a chisel, lathe, etc
29.  (tr) (of a tool) to bite into (an object)
30.  (intr) (of a horse) to injure the leg just above the hoof by a blow from the opposite foot
31.  cut a caper, cut capers
 a.  to skip or jump playfully
 b.  to act or behave playfully; frolic
32.  cut both ways
 a.  to have both good and bad effects
 b.  to affect both sides of something, as two parties in an argument, etc
33.  cut a dash to behave or dress showily or strikingly; make a stylish impression
34.  informal cut a person dead to ignore a person completely
35.  cut a good figure to appear or behave well
36.  cut a poor figure to appear or behave badly
37.  informal cut and run to make a rapid escape
38.  slang cut it be successful in doing something
39.  informal cut it fine to allow little margin of time, space, etc
40.  cut corners to do something in the easiest or shortest way, esp at the expense of high standards: we could finish this project early only if we cut corners
41.  cut loose to free or become freed from restraint, custody, anchorage, etc
42.  informal cut no ice to fail to make an impression
43.  cut one's losses to give up spending time, money, or energy on an unprofitable or unsuccessful activity
44.  informal cut one's teeth on
 a.  to use at an early age or stage
 b.  to practise on
 
—adj
45.  detached, divided, or separated by cutting
46.  botany incised or divided: cut leaves
47.  made, shaped, or fashioned by cutting
48.  reduced or diminished by or as if by cutting: cut prices
49.  gelded or castrated
50.  weakened or diluted
51.  (Brit) a slang word for drunk
52.  hurt; resentful
53.  informal cut and dried settled or arranged in advance
54.  (Austral), (NZ) cut lunch a sandwich lunch carried from home to work, school, etc
 
—n
55.  the act of cutting
56.  a stroke or incision made by cutting; gash
57.  a piece or part cut off, esp a section of food cut from the whole: a cut of meat
58.  the edge of anything cut or sliced
59.  a passage, channel, path, etc, cut or hollowed out
60.  an omission or deletion, esp in a text, film, or play
61.  a reduction in price, salary, etc
62.  a decrease in government finance in a particular department or area, usually leading to a reduction of services, staff numbers, etc
63.  short for power cut
64.  chiefly (US), (Canadian) a quantity of timber cut during a specific time or operation
65.  informal a portion or share
66.  informal a straw, slip of paper, etc, used in drawing lots
67.  the manner or style in which a thing, esp a garment, is cut; fashion
68.  a.  informal (Irish) a person's general appearance: I didn't like the cut of him
 b.  derogatory (Irish) a dirty or untidy condition: look at the cut of your shoes
69.  a direct route; short cut
70.  the US name for block
71.  sport the spin of a cut ball
72.  cricket a stroke made with the bat in a roughly horizontal position
73.  films an immediate transition from one shot to the next, brought about by splicing the two shots together
74.  informal an individual piece of music on a record; track
75.  words or an action that hurt another person's feelings
76.  a refusal to recognize an acquaintance; snub
77.  informal chiefly (US) an unauthorized absence, esp from a school class
78.  chem a fraction obtained in distillation, as in oil refining
79.  the metal removed in a single pass of a machine tool
80.  a.  the shape of the teeth of a file
 b.  their coarseness or fineness
81.  (Brit) a stretch of water, esp a canal
82.  informal a cut above superior (to); better (than)
83.  golf make the cut to better or equal the required score after two rounds in a strokeplay tournament, thus avoiding elimination from the final two rounds
84.  golf miss the cut to achieve a greater score after the first two rounds of a strokeplay tournament than that required to play in the remaining two rounds
 
[C13: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Norwegian kutte to cut, Icelandic kuti small knife]

cut out
 
—vb
1.  (tr) to delete or remove
2.  (tr) to shape or form by cutting: to cut out a dress
3.  (tr; usually passive) to suit or equip for: you're not cut out for this job
4.  (intr) (of an engine, etc) to cease to operate suddenly
5.  (tr) printing to remove the background from a photograph or drawing to make the outline of the subject stand out
6.  (intr) (of an electrical device) to switch off, usually automatically
7.  informal (tr) to oust and supplant (a rival)
8.  (intr) (of a person) to be excluded from a card game
9.  informal (tr) to cease doing something, esp something undesirable (esp in the phrase cut it out)
10.  (tr) soccer to intercept (a pass)
11.  (tr) to separate (cattle) from a herd
12.  (Austral), (NZ) (intr) to end or finish: the road cuts out at the creek
13.  have one's work cut out to have as much work as one can manage
 
—n
14.  something that has been or is intended to be cut out from something else
15.  a photograph or drawing from which the background has been cut away
16.  a device that switches off or interrupts an electric circuit, esp a switch acting as a safety device
17.  an impressed stamp cut out from an envelope for collecting purposes
18.  slang (Austral) the end of shearing

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

cut
late 13c., possibly Scandinavian, from N.Gmc. *kut-, or from O.Fr. couteau "knife." Replaced O.E. ceorfan "carve," sniþan, and scieran "shear." Meaning "to be absent without excuse" is British university slang from 1794. The noun meaning "gash, incision" is attested from 1520s; meaning "piece cut
off" is from 1590s; sense of "a wounding sarcasm" is from 1560s. To cut a pack of cards is from 1590s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

cut (kŭt)
v. cut, cut·ting, cuts

  1. To penetrate with a sharp edge; strike a narrow opening in.

  2. To separate into parts with or as if with a sharp-edged instrument; sever.

  3. To make an incision or a separation.

  4. To have a new tooth grow through the gums.

  5. To form or shape by severing or incising.

  6. To separate from a body; detach.

  7. To lessen the strength of; dilute.

n.

  1. The act of cutting.

  2. The result of cutting, especially an opening or wound made by a sharp edge.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary

cut definition


  1. mod.
    alcohol intoxicated. : He got cut on beer, which is unusual for him.
  2. tv.
    to dilute something. : She always cuts her eggnog with cola. Yuck!
  3. n.
    a share of the loot or the profits. (Originally underworld.) : You'll get your cut when everybody else does.
  4. n.
    a single song or section of music on a record. : This next cut is one everybody likes.
  5. tv.
    to eliminate something; to stop (doing something). : Okay, chum, cut the clowning.
  6. mod.
    muscular; with well-defined muscles, especially in reference to the abdominal muscles. : He works out and he's really cut!
  7. mod.
    circumcised. (Not usually prenominal.) : I'm not cut and neither is my brother.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source

cut out definition


  1. in.
    to leave; to run away. : It's late. I think I'll cut out.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source

cut (up) definition


  1. mod.
    having well-defined abdominal muscles. : Andy works hard to try to get a gut that's cut.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

cut out

  1. Excise, remove as if by cutting; also, form or shape as if by cutting or carving. For example, Young children love cutting out pictures from magazines, or The first step is cutting out the dress pattern. The first usage dates from about 1400, the second from the mid-1500s.

  2. Oust, replace, or supplant someone, as in He cut out all her other boyfriends. [Mid-1600s]

  3. Also, cut out for. Suited or fitted by nature, as in Dean's not cut out for lexicography. [Mid-1600s]

  4. Also, cut out for. Assigned beforehand, prepared, predetermined, as in We have our work cut out for us. [Early 1600s]

  5. Deprive, as in He cut her out of his will. [Early 1800s]

  6. Stop, cease, as in He cut out the motor, or Cut out that noise! [c. 1900] Also see cut it out.

  7. Leave, especially in a hurry; also, run away. For example, I'm cutting out right now, or At the first hint of a police raid they cut out. [Slang; first half of 1800s] Also see cut and run; cut the comedy.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Roll out any additional dough to cut out more biscuits.
Cut out stems from chard and chop stems, reserving leaves.
The other side has the player's name cut out and his number.
If you don't think he's cut out for graduate school, tell him, and tell him why.
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