cut
[ kuht ]
/ kʌt /
verb (used with object), cut, cut·ting.
to penetrate with or as if with a sharp-edged instrument or object: He cut his finger.
to divide with or as if with a sharp-edged instrument; sever; carve: to cut a rope.
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.
to hew or saw down; fell: to cut timber.
to trim by clipping, shearing, paring, or pruning: to cut hair.
to mow; reap; harvest: to cut grain.
to abridge or shorten; edit by omitting a part or parts: to cut a speech.
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.
to lower, reduce, diminish, or curtail (sometimes followed by down): to cut prices.
to dilute; make less thick: to cut wine.
to dissolve: That detergent cuts grease effectively.
to intersect; cross: One line cuts another at right angles.
Informal.
to cease; discontinue (often followed by out): Cut the kidding. Let's cut out the pretense.
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.
to dilute or adulterate (a drug) by mixing it with other substances.
to grow (a tooth or teeth) through the gum: The baby is cutting his teeth.
to type, write, or draw on (a stencil) for mimeographing.
to make or fashion by cutting, as a statue, jewel, or garment.
Glassmaking.
to produce a pattern (in glass) by grinding and polishing.
to refuse to recognize socially; shun ostentatiously: Her friends began to cut her as the season progressed.
to strike sharply, as with a whip.
to absent oneself from: allowed to cut three classes per semester.
Movies, Television.
- to stop (a scene or shot being filmed).
- to edit (a film).
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).
to wound the feelings of severely.
Cards.
- to divide (a pack of cards) at random into two or more parts, by removing cards from the top.
- to take (a card) from a deck.
to record a selection on (a phonograph record or tape); make a recording of.
to castrate or geld.
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.
to hollow out; excavate; dig: to cut a trench.
Cricket.
to strike and send off (a ball) in front of the batsman, and parallel to the wicket.
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), cut, cut·ting.
to penetrate or divide something, as with a sharp-edged instrument; make an incision: The scissors cut well.
to admit of being cut: Butter cuts easily.
to repeatedly inflict self-injury by deliberately cutting the skin.
to pass, go, or come, especially in the most direct way (usually followed by across, through, in, etc.): to cut across an empty lot.
Movies, Television.
- to shift suddenly from one shot to another: Cut to the barroom interior.
- to stop the action of a scene: used as a command by a director.
to make a sudden or sharp turn in direction; change direction suddenly; swerve: We cut to the left to avoid hitting the child.
to strike a person, animal, etc., sharply, as with a whip.
to wound the feelings severely: His criticism cut deep.
(of the teeth) to grow through the gums.
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).
Cards.
to cut the cards.
Informal.
to leave hastily: to cut for the hills.
(of a horse) to interfere.
adjective
that has been subjected to cutting; divided into pieces by cutting; detached by cutting: cut flowers.
fashioned by cutting; having the surface shaped or ornamented by grinding, polishing, or the like: cut diamonds.
reduced by or as if by cutting: cut whiskey; cut prices.
Botany.
incised; cleft.
castrated; gelded.
Slang.
drunk.
noun
the act of cutting; a stroke or a blow, as with a knife, whip, etc.
the result of cutting, as an incision, wound, passage, or channel.
a piece cut off: a cut of a pie.
Informal.
a share, especially of earnings or profits: His agent's cut is 20 percent.
a haircut, often with a styling.
a reduction in price, salary, etc.
the manner or fashion in which anything is cut: the cut of a dress.
style; manner; kind: We need a man of his cut in this firm.
a passage or course straight across or through: a cut through the woods.
an excision or omission of a part.
a part or quantity of text deleted or omitted.
a quantity cut, especially of lumber.
a refusal to recognize an acquaintance.
an act, speech, etc., that wounds the feelings.
an engraved plate or block of wood used for printing.
a printed picture or illustration.
an absence, as from a school class, at which attendance is required.
Butchering.
part of an animal usually cut as one piece.
Cards.
a cutting of the cards.
Sports.
- the act of cutting a ball.
- the spin imparted.
Fencing.
a blow with the edge of the blade instead of the tip.
one of several pieces of straw, paper, etc., used in drawing lots.
Movies, Television.
an individual song, musical piece, or other similar material on a record or tape.
any product of the fractional distillation of petroleum.
Verb Phrases
cut across,
to precede or go beyond considerations of; transcend: The new tax program cuts across party lines.
cut down,
- Also cut down on. to lessen; decrease: to cut down on between-meal snacks.
- to strike and cause to fall: The first force to attempt an advance was swiftly cut down.
- to destroy, kill, or disable: The hurricane cut down everything in its path.
- to remodel, remake, or reduce in size, as a garment: She had her old coat cut down to fit her daughter.
cut in,
- to move or thrust oneself, a vehicle, etc., abruptly between others: A speeding car cut in and nearly caused an accident.
- to interpose; interrupt: to cut in with a remark.
- Informal. to interrupt a dancing couple in order to dance with one of them.
- to blend (shortening) into flour by means of a knife.
cut off,
- to intercept.
- to interrupt.
- to stop suddenly; discontinue.
- to halt the operation of; turn off.
- to shut off or shut out.
- to disinherit.
- to sever; separate.
cut out,
- to omit; delete; excise.
- to oust and replace a rival; supplant.
- to part an animal from a herd.
- to plan; arrange: He has his work cut out for him.
- to move out of one's lane of traffic.
- Also cut on out.Slang. to leave suddenly.
- Informal. to refrain from; stop: to cut out smoking.
- (of an engine, machine, etc.) to stop running.
cut up,
- to cut into pieces or sections.
- to lacerate; wound.
- to distress mentally; injure.
- Informal. to play pranks; misbehave: They got scolded for cutting up in church.
Idioms for cut
a cut above,
somewhat superior to another (thing, person, etc.) in some respect: Her work is a cut above anyone else's.
cut a caper/figure,
to perform a spirited, brief, outlandish dance step, especially as a result of euphoria.
- cut a caper.
- to give a certain impression of oneself: He cut a distinguished figure in his tuxedo.
- Nautical. to cut the anchor cable and set sail, as in an emergency.
- to leave as hurriedly as possible; flee.
- to shorten by cutting off the end.
- to curtail or discontinue: Steel production has been cut back in recent months.
- to return to an earlier episode or event, as in the plot of a novel.
- Football. to reverse direction suddenly by moving in the diagonally opposite course.
- to achieve or maintain a desired level of performance: The aging football player decided he couldn't cut it any longer and retired.
- to be effective or successful; satisfy a need.
cut a figure,
cut and run,
cut back,
cut both ways,
to have, produce, or result in advantages as well as disadvantages: This decision will inevitably cut both ways.
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.
cut it, Informal.
cut it out, Informal.
to stop doing something: That hurts! Cut it out!
cut no ice.
ice(def 25).
cut out for,
fitted for; capable of: He wasn't cut out for military service.
Origin of cut
1175–1225; Middle English
cutten, kytten, kitten, Old English
*cyttan; akin to Old Swedish
kotta to cut, Old Norse
kuti little knife
synonym study for cut
2.
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.
OTHER WORDS FROM cut
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
Words nearby cut
British Dictionary definitions for cut both ways
cut
/ (kʌt) /
verb cuts, cutting or cut
to open up or incise (a person or thing) with a sharp edge or instrument; gash
(of a sharp instrument) to penetrate or incise (a person or thing)
to divide or be divided with or as if with a sharp instrument
cut a slice of bread
(intr)
to use a sharp-edged instrument or an instrument that cuts
(tr)
to trim or prune by or as if by clipping
to cut hair
(tr)
to reap or mow (a crop, grass, etc)
(tr)
to geld or castrate
(tr sometimes foll by out)
to make, form, or shape by cutting
to cut a suit
(tr)
to hollow or dig out; excavate
to cut a tunnel through the mountain
to strike (an object) sharply
(tr) sport
to hit (a ball) with a downward slicing stroke so as to impart spin or cause it to fall short
cricket
to hit (the ball) to the off side, usually between cover and third man, with a roughly horizontal bat
to hurt or wound the feelings of (a person), esp by malicious speech or action
(tr) informal
to refuse to recognize; snub
(tr) informal
to absent oneself from (an activity, location, etc), esp without permission or in haste
to cut class
(tr)
to abridge, shorten, or edit by excising a part or parts
(tr often foll by down)
to lower, reduce, or curtail
to cut losses
(tr)
to dilute or weaken
heroin that was cut with nontoxic elements
(tr)
to dissolve or break up
to cut fat
(when intr, foll by across or through)
to cross or traverse
the footpath cuts through the field
(intr)
to make a sharp or sudden change in direction; veer
to grow (teeth) through the gums or (of teeth) to appear through the gums
(intr) films
- to call a halt to a shooting sequence
- (foll by to) to move quickly to another scene
films
to edit (film)
(tr)
to switch off (a light, car engine, etc)
(tr)
(of a performer, recording company, etc) to make (a record or tape of a song, concert, performance, etc)
cards
- to divide (the pack) at random into two parts after shuffling
- (intr) to pick cards from a spread pack to decide dealer, partners, etc
(tr)
to remove (material) from an object by means of a chisel, lathe, etc
(tr)
(of a tool) to bite into (an object)
(intr)
(of a horse) to injure the leg just above the hoof by a blow from the opposite foot
cut a caper or cut capers
- to skip or jump playfully
- to act or behave playfully; frolic
cut both ways
- to have both good and bad effects
- to affect both sides of something, as two parties in an argument, etc
cut a dash
to behave or dress showily or strikingly; make a stylish impression
cut a person dead informal
to ignore a person completely
cut a good figure
to appear or behave well
cut a poor figure
to appear or behave badly
cut and run informal
to make a rapid escape
cut it slang
be successful in doing something
cut it fine informal
to allow little margin of time, space, etc
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
cut loose
to free or become freed from restraint, custody, anchorage, etc
cut no ice informal
to fail to make an impression
cut one's losses
to give up spending time, money, or energy on an unprofitable or unsuccessful activity
cut one's teeth on informal
- to use at an early age or stage
- to practise on
adjective
detached, divided, or separated by cutting
botany
incised or divided
cut leaves
made, shaped, or fashioned by cutting
reduced or diminished by or as if by cutting
cut prices
gelded or castrated
weakened or diluted
British a slang word for drunk
hurt; resentful
cut and dried informal
settled or arranged in advance
cut lunch Australian and NZ
a sandwich lunch carried from home to work, school, etc
noun
the act of cutting
a stroke or incision made by cutting; gash
a piece or part cut off, esp a section of food cut from the whole
a cut of meat
the edge of anything cut or sliced
a passage, channel, path, etc, cut or hollowed out
an omission or deletion, esp in a text, film, or play
a reduction in price, salary, etc
a decrease in government finance in a particular department or area, usually leading to a reduction of services, staff numbers, etc
short for power cut
mainly US and Canadian
a quantity of timber cut during a specific time or operation
informal
a portion or share
informal
a straw, slip of paper, etc, used in drawing lots
the manner or style in which a thing, esp a garment, is cut; fashion
- Irish informal a person's general appearanceI didn't like the cut of him
- Irish derogatory a dirty or untidy conditionlook at the cut of your shoes
a direct route; short cut
the US name for block (def. 15)
sport
the spin of a cut ball
cricket
a stroke made with the bat in a roughly horizontal position
films
an immediate transition from one shot to the next, brought about by splicing the two shots together
informal
an individual piece of music on a record; track
words or an action that hurt another person's feelings
a refusal to recognize an acquaintance; snub
informal, mainly US
an unauthorized absence, esp from a school class
chem
a fraction obtained in distillation, as in oil refining
the metal removed in a single pass of a machine tool
- the shape of the teeth of a file
- their coarseness or fineness
British
a stretch of water, esp a canal
a cut above informal
superior (to); better (than)
make the cut golf
to better or equal the required score after two rounds in a strokeplay tournament, thus avoiding elimination from the final two rounds
miss the cut golf
to achieve a greater score after the first two rounds of a strokeplay tournament than that required to play in the remaining two rounds
Word Origin for cut
C13: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Norwegian
kutte to cut, Icelandic
kuti small knife
Medical definitions for cut both ways
cut
[ kŭt ]
v.
To penetrate with a sharp edge; strike a narrow opening in.
To separate into parts with or as if with a sharp-edged instrument; sever.
To make an incision or a separation.
To have a new tooth grow through the gums.
To form or shape by severing or incising.
To separate from a body; detach.
To lessen the strength of; dilute.
n.
The act of cutting.
The result of cutting, especially an opening or wound made by a sharp edge.
Idioms and Phrases with cut both ways (1 of 2)
cut both ways
Have a mixed effect, have advantages and disadvantages. For example, Their solution will cut both ways; it'll take longer but is permanent. This metaphoric expression alludes to a double-edged sword. [c. 1600]
Idioms and Phrases with cut both ways (2 of 2)
cut
In addition to the idioms beginning with cut
- cut above
- cut across
- cut a deal
- cut adrift
- cut a long story short
- cut and dried
- cut and paste
- cut and run
- cut a wide swath
- cut back
- cut both ways
- cut capers
- cut class
- cut corners
- cut dead
- cut down
- cute as a button
- cut ice
- cut in
- cut into
- cut it
- cut it fine
- cut it out
- cut loose
- cut no ice
- cut off
- cut off one's nose to spite one's face
- cut off with a shilling
- cut of one's jib
- cut one's losses
- cut one's teeth on
- cut out
- cut out of whole cloth
- cut short
- cut someone dead
- cut someone's throat
- cut teeth
- cut the comedy
- cut the ground from under
- cut the mustard
- cut to the bone
- cut to the chase
- cut to the quick
- cut up
also see:
- (cut) down to size
- fish or cut bait
- have one's work cut out
- like a chicken with its head cut off
- make (cut) a long story short
- unkindest cut
- you could cut it with a knife