cut off

phrasal verb transitive

Word Forms

present tense
I/you/we/they	cut off
he/she/it	cuts off
present participle	cutting off
past tense	cut off
past participle	cut off

1
same as cut
The government has threatened to cut off our funding.
They cut off the electricity last week.
2
to prevent someone from ever receiving your money or property
Her father cut her off without a penny.
Synonyms and related words
Inheritance, inheriting and heritage
an accident of birth
be descended from
beneficiary
3
to make a place difficult or impossible to enter, leave, or communicate with
The floods completely cut off the town.
cut something off from something:
Our house is cut off from the rest of the town.
Synonyms and related words
To stop someone from entering or leaving a place
shut out
seal off
cordon off
1. 3a
  to prevent someone from leaving a place, or from communicating with people in another place
  Having a new baby can cut a young mother off from the adult world.
  Synonyms and related words
  To stop someone doing something
  stop
  prevent
  keep from
  Synonyms and related words
  To isolate someone
  isolate
  exclude
  segregate
4
to remove something by cutting it
Cut the tops off the carrots.
Why did you cut off all your hair?
Synonyms and related words
Remove by cutting
chop off
clip
crop
5
to stop someone from going somewhere, especially by blocking their way
A second policeman cut off his escape.
Synonyms and related words
To stop someone doing something
stop
prevent
keep from
6
to prevent someone from continuing what they are saying
Don’t cut me off when I’m talking.
Synonyms and related words
To interrupt someone when they are talking
interrupt
intervene
break in
7
(cut someone off) Americaninformalto not allow someone to buy any more alcoholic drinks in a bar because they have already drunk too many
Synonyms and related words
To drink alcohol, or to be drunk
drink
knock back
outdrink
8
usually passive(cut someone off) if someone or something cuts you off when you are talking on the telephone, they make the telephone line stop working
We got cut off in the middle of the call.
Synonyms and related words
Using a telephone
answer
busy
busy signal
9
(cut someone off) to stop having a close or friendly relationship with someone
Why did all his friends suddenly cut him off?
Synonyms and related words
To end a friendship or relationship
defriend
unfriend
break off
10
cut off your nose to spite your faceinformalto do something that is intended to harm someone even though you know that it will harm you too
Synonyms and related words
To cause problems for yourself
store up
be your own worst enemy
be asking for something