# cut

Pronunciation: US/AUS say "KUT" /kʌt/; UK

## Verb

1. To divide something into parts using a knife, scissors, or another sharp instrument.
   - Simple: To divide something into pieces using a knife, scissors, or another sharp tool.
   - _The chef cut the onion into a fine dice before adding it to the pan._
   - _Use sharp shears to cut the fabric along the marked line._
2. To reduce something, such as costs or prices, especially as a deliberate decision.
   - Simple: To make something smaller in amount, usually on purpose.
   - _The company cut its workforce by ten percent last year._
   - _Lawmakers voted to cut funding for the program._
4. To make an opening or wound in something or someone with a knife, blade, or other sharp edge.
   - Simple: To make a cut in something or someone with a knife or other sharp thing, sometimes causing a wound.
   - _She cut her finger while chopping onions for dinner._
   - _Cut a small slit in the top of the bag to let the steam escape._
6. To form or shape something by removing material with a sharp tool.
   - Simple: To make something into a shape by removing pieces with a sharp tool.
   - _The jeweler cut the diamond into fifty-eight precise facets._
   - _Craftsmen cut each panel into an identical shape by hand._
7. To remove or exclude someone or something that was previously included or associated.
   - Simple: To drop someone or something that used to be part of a group.
   - _The singer was cut from the band's lineup after he missed three straight shows._
   - _Management decided to cut the underperforming division entirely._
8. To stop, switch off, or disengage something.
   - Simple: To make something stop working or turn it off.
   - _As the boat drifted close to the dock, the captain cut the engine and tossed a rope to his friend._
   - _Cut the music when the announcement starts._
19. To shorten something or tidy it by clipping away its ends or top, as is done to hair, nails, hedges, or lawns.
   - Simple: To make something shorter or tidier by taking a little off the ends or top, like hair or grass.
   - _You should cut your fingernails short before the climbing class starts._
   - _He hasn't had his hair cut since spring, and it now falls well past his collar._
9. To make a work shorter by taking material out, or to delete part of a recording in editing.
   - Simple: To make a book, film or recording shorter by taking parts out.
   - _The publisher cut the novel by almost a hundred pages._
   - _The director had to cut two scenes to keep the movie under two hours._
10. To pass through or across something so as to divide it in two, or nearly so.
   - Simple: To go straight through or across something, splitting it into two parts.
   - _The new highway cuts right through the old neighborhood._
   - _Several small creeks cut across the valley floor on their way to the lake._
20. To remove text, an image, or other content and hold it in memory so it can be pasted elsewhere later.
   - Simple: To remove text or an image and store it so you can paste it somewhere else.
   - _He cut the paragraph and pasted it into the new document._
   - _To move the figure, cut it from the report and drop it into the appendix._
16. To create a channel, valley, or passage by eroding or excavating material, the way a river does.
   - Simple: To slowly wear away or dig out ground to make a channel, valley, or path, like a river does.
   - _As glaciers grind slowly downhill, they cut deep valleys into the mountainside._
   - _Over thousands of years, the stream has cut a narrow gorge through the limestone._
17. To change direction abruptly and sharply.
   - Simple: To turn sharply and suddenly to one side.
   - _Skiers cut hard to the right to follow the slope's curve._
   - _The fox cut left and vanished into the hedge._
22. To join a line at the wrong place, ahead of people who were already waiting.
   - Simple: To go into a line in front of people who were there first.
   - _Please don't cut; everyone here has been waiting for an hour._
   - _Two teenagers cut in line just as the doors opened._
26. To engage in self-harm by deliberately making cuts in one's own skin.
   - Simple: To hurt yourself on purpose by making cuts in your own skin.
   - _Many teenagers who cut hide the scars under long sleeves._
   - _She cut her wrists during the worst months of her depression._
27. To wound someone's feelings deeply, as if piercing them.
   - Simple: To hurt someone's feelings very badly.
   - _Criticism from a close friend can cut you far deeper than a stranger's._
   - _Being left out of his own daughter's wedding cut him to the quick._
30. To make an abrupt transition from one shot or scene to another.
   - Simple: To switch suddenly from one shot or scene to another while filming or editing.
   - _Editors often cut from a wide establishing shot to a tight close-up._
   - _The sequence cuts abruptly from daylight to darkness._
31. To make, negotiate or conclude something such as a deal, or to issue something such as a check. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To make or agree on a deal, or to write and give out a check.
   - _The prosecutor offered to cut him a deal if he testified._
   - _Once the paperwork cleared, the insurer cut a check for the full amount._
32. To lay down a recording of a song or album, typically in a studio. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To record a song or album, often in a studio.
   - _She cut her debut single at a tiny studio above a laundromat._
   - _The group plans to cut a live album during next month's shows._
33. To deliberately miss a class, appointment, or other event one is expected to attend.
   - Simple: To stay away from a class or meeting you were supposed to attend.
   - _Several students cut the morning lecture to attend the protest._
   - _If you cut practice again, the coach will bench you._
34. To assemble a film by selecting and arranging takes from the original footage.
   - Simple: To make a finished movie by choosing the best filmed parts and joining them.
   - _Editors cut their films differently depending on the genre's pacing demands._
   - _She cut the feature from hundreds of hours of footage._
36. To leave a place or gathering abruptly, often without notice. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To leave a place or activity quickly and without warning.
   - _Nobody noticed when Dana cut out of the reception halfway through the speeches._
   - _If the band doesn't start soon, I'm going to cut out and grab dinner somewhere else._
38. To dilute or weaken a substance, especially a recreational drug, by mixing in another material. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To make a substance, especially a drug, weaker by mixing something else into it.
   - _The supplier cut the cocaine with a cheap additive to boost profits._
   - _Street dealers cut their product so heavily that little of the drug remains._
39. To divide a pack of playing cards into two parts, often then reversing their order.
   - Simple: To split a deck of cards into two piles, often swapping them around.
   - _Each player must cut the deck once before play starts._
   - _He cuts twice for luck before every hand._
40. In bodybuilding, to lose body mass while trying to keep muscle and shed fat.
   - Simple: In bodybuilding, to lose weight by losing fat but keeping your muscles.
   - _Many lifters bulk up over the winter and cut before summer._
   - _He's cutting for the regional competition in June._

## Noun

3. A decrease in amount, or the removal of part of something.
   - Simple: A drop in the size or amount of something.
   - _The latest round of spending cuts hit public services hardest._
   - _A sudden cut in production led to shortages across the region._
5. An opening in a living body produced by cutting; an incision or wound.
   - Simple: An opening made in the body of a person or animal by something sharp.
   - _The vet made a small cut in the horse's side to remove the lump._
   - _The sheep had a nasty cut where the shears had slipped._
11. A particular style or trim given to someone's hair.
   - Simple: The shape or style of someone's hair after it is trimmed.
   - _The barber gave him a clean cut that took only ten minutes._
   - _Her layered cut needs a trim every six weeks._
12. A slab or slice of food, especially a piece of meat from a particular part of an animal.
   - Simple: A piece of food cut from something larger, especially meat from one part of an animal.
   - _Brisket is a tough cut that becomes tender after hours of braising._
   - _She chose a lean cut to keep the dish low in fat._
13. An act of cutting, in the literal or a figurative sense.
   - Simple: The act of cutting something.
   - _The woodsman finished the job with a single cut of the ax._
   - _The fencing master showed his students a quick diagonal cut with the saber._
14. A distinct, separately identifiable part of a recording, such as a single song on an album.
   - Simple: One separate song or track on a record, tape, or CD.
   - _The opening cut sets the mood for the entire album._
   - _Each cut on the live record was taken from a different night of the tour._
15. The manner or style in which a garment or sail is fashioned and shaped.
   - Simple: The way a piece of clothing or a sail is shaped and sewn.
   - _The tailored cut of the suit flattered her figure._
   - _An old-fashioned cut gave the coat a distinctly Victorian silhouette._
21. A particular edited version of a film, reflecting the choices made during editing.
   - Simple: A particular finished version of a movie after editing.
   - _The studio released a shorter cut for international audiences._
   - _The final cut removed two subplots that slowed the pacing._
18. A notch, passage, or channel formed by cutting or digging, such as a furrow or groove.
   - Simple: A narrow opening, groove, or channel made by cutting or digging.
   - _Engineers blasted a cut through the ridge for the new railway._
   - _A narrow cut carried meltwater down the mountainside._
23. The shape a gemstone is given by cutting and polishing, together with the pattern of its facets.
   - Simple: The shape and pattern of small flat sides a jewel is given when it is shaped and polished.
   - _Buyers often weigh a diamond's cut as heavily as its color and clarity._
   - _The old ruby was reshaped into a modern cushion cut, which brought out far more of its fire._
25. A share or portion of profits or earnings owed to someone.
   - Simple: A share of money or profits that someone gets.
   - _The middleman demanded his cut before releasing the goods._
   - _Investors expect a cut of the profits proportional to their stake._
28. In a multi-round stroke-play golf tournament, the reduction of the field after the early rounds, dropping players outside a set place or score.
   - Simple: In a golf tournament, the point where players with the worst scores are sent home before the last rounds.
   - _She birdied the last hole to make the cut with a shot to spare._
   - _Rain delays pushed the cut back to Saturday morning, and several former champions did not survive it._
29. A passage left out, or marked to be left out, of a play, film script, or speech.
   - Simple: A part taken out of a play, movie, or speech, or one that will be taken out.
   - _The most painful cut was the writer's favorite monologue, which the director dropped after the first preview._
   - _The restored edition of the play prints the original cuts in brackets so readers can see what the censors removed._
41. A direct change from one shot or scene to the next in an edited film or video, made instantly rather than through a fade or similar gradual effect.
   - Simple: In a movie or video, a sudden change from one scene or picture straight to the next, with no fading.
   - _The director used a hard cut from the funeral to a crowded wedding reception to jolt the audience._
   - _The editor replaced the slow fades with quick cuts to give the music video more energy._

## Interjection

24. A director's command to stop filming or recording the current take.
   - Simple: A director's order telling everyone to stop filming right now.
   - _'Cut!' she called, unhappy with the lighting on the final take._
   - _After the stunt landed perfectly, the director shouted cut and the crew applauded._

## Adjective

35. Having muscular definition where individual groups of muscle fibers stand out distinctly among the larger muscles.
   - Simple: Having lean, clearly visible muscles with very little fat over them.
   - _By contest day, the athlete was remarkably cut, every muscle group clearly separated._
   - _His back looked cut, with each band of muscle sharply outlined._
37. Lowered or reduced from a previous level.
   - Simple: Made smaller or less than before.
   - _The airline lured travelers with sharply cut fares._
   - _The outlet store sells last season's designer shoes at cut prices, so a line forms early every weekend._

## Other meanings

- (verb) To hit a person or animal sharply with a whip or something similar.
- (verb) To remove the testicles of a male animal so it cannot breed.
- (verb) Of a horse in motion, to clip the inside of one leg with the hoof of the other, often causing injury.
- (verb) To be capable of being sliced or divided by a blade, as a material that gives way easily under a knife.
- (verb) To deliberately act as if one does not see or know someone, as a public snub.
- (verb) In cricket, to give the ball sideways spin when bowling by drawing the fingertips down one side of it.
- (verb) In cricket, to hit a delivery toward the off side with a downward, horizontal stroke of the bat.
- (verb) To present a particular appearance or impression, as in cutting a fine or sorry figure.
- (verb) To give up or abandon something, such as a habit, a food or a friendship.
- (verb) To send a ball off to the side with a glancing or angled stroke, as in billiards, croquet or tennis.
- (verb) To perform a showy or complicated dance step or movement, as in cutting a caper.
- (verb) To dash away fast, as in cutting along home.
- (adjective) Separated, opened, trimmed or shaped by cutting, as with cut flowers or a cut finger.
- (adjective) Shaped by carving or grinding, as a gem or stone, rather than left in its natural rough state.
- (adjective) Of a shot, hit with the bat held level so that the ball goes behind point.
- (adjective) Having had the foreskin removed, or, of a girl or woman, having undergone female genital mutilation (FGM).
- (adjective) Hurt or upset, often angry, because of something someone said or did.
- (adjective) Under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
- (noun) A blow struck with a chopping swing so that the edge or tip of the sword hits.
- (noun) A stretch of dieting and training in which someone tries to shed fat while keeping muscle.
- (noun) Something produced by cutting, such as an opening, a slice or a mark left by a blade.
- (noun) A channel dug through higher ground to carry a road, railroad, canal or runway.
- (noun) A man-made waterway for ships, as opposed to a natural river.
- (noun) In cricket, a stroke played with a horizontal swing of the bat, sending the ball to the off side behind point.
- (noun) The way a quick bowler's delivery veers off line in flight because of the spin put on it at release.
- (noun) In tennis and similar games, an angled stroke that puts spin on the ball so it bounces unpredictably, or the spin given.
- (noun) The act of splitting a deck of cards into two parts, or the right to do so.
- (noun) The card turned up or revealed when a deck is split in two.
- (noun) A pointed refusal to acknowledge someone one knows, such as ignoring their greeting.
- (noun) A hurtful or cruel thing done to someone.
- (noun) A remark meant to wound or offend.
- (noun) The edge or surface left where earlier deposits were dug away to make a feature such as a pit or ditch, recording that moment.
- (noun) A division of the vertices of a graph into two separate sets.
- (noun) A marker in a Tumblr post that hides everything after it until the reader chooses to expand it.
- (noun) A group of coupled railroad cars forming a unit shorter than a whole train.
- (noun) A block or plate engraved for printing a picture, or a print made from it.
- (noun) An ordinary working horse, or a castrated male horse.
- (noun) A failure by a student or college officer to attend a required class, chapel or other event.
- (noun) A fixed length of yarn wound into a loose coil, used as a measure in spinning.
- (noun) A substance mixed into an illegal drug to stretch or weaken it.
- (noun) A slit-like line razored through an eyebrow, worn as a style statement.
- (noun) A secret or out-of-the-way spot where someone can hide or keep things safe.
- (noun) The band of boiling temperatures at which a given fraction is separated from crude oil during refining.
- (noun) A sleeveless jacket, usually leather or denim, bearing a motorcycle club's patches and worn by its members.

## Origin

From Middle English cutten (also kitten), taken from a North Germanic source whose deeper origin is uncertain, perhaps linked to a Germanic word for meat or flesh; it pushed out the native verb snithen. The rare sense "drunk" dates from the 1600s, from the old euphemism of having "cut one's leg," and lives on mainly in half-cut.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/cut (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).