cut (someone or something) short

cut (someone or something) short

1. To interrupt someone so that they stop talking. I was sick of listening to her story so I finally cut her short.2. To end something unexpectedly or abruptly before its planned conclusion. No one was disappointed when the principal's microphone came unplugged, cutting his speech short.See also: cut, short

cut short

Abbreviate, stop abruptly, as in The thunderstorm cut short our picnic, or She cut her short, saying she'd already heard the story of their breakup. Shakespeare used this term to mean "put a sudden end to someone's life": "Rather than bloody war shall cut them short" ( 2 Henry VI, 4:4), a less common usage today. The broader usage dates from the mid-1600s. See also: cut, short

cut somebody ˈshort

stop somebody speaking: She was just about to say who had got the job, but I cut her short and asked her to keep it secret.See also: cut, short, somebody

cut something ˈshort

make something end before the natural time; interrupt something: We’ll have to cut our stay short, I’m afraid. My husband’s father is seriously ill. ♢ Our conversation was cut short by the arrival of the teacher.See also: cut, short, something

cut short

To stop before the end; abbreviate.See also: cut, short