cut

verb

/kʌt/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they cut	/kʌt/ /kʌt/
he / she / it cuts	/kʌts/ /kʌts/
past simple cut	/kʌt/ /kʌt/
past participle cut	/kʌt/ /kʌt/
-ing form cutting	/ˈkʌtɪŋ/ /ˈkʌtɪŋ/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs

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wound/hole

[transitive, intransitive] to make an opening or a wound in something, especially with a sharp tool such as a knife or scissors

cut something She cut her finger on a piece of glass.
cut yourself He cut himself (= his face) shaving.
She suffered from mental health issues and started cutting herself (= deliberately, as a symptom of mental distress).
cut something + adj. She had fallen and cut her head open.
cut into something She picked up the knife and cut into the meat.
cut through something You need a powerful saw to cut through metal.
(figurative) The canoe cut through the water.

Topics Illnessa1

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

thick
thinly
cleanly
…

preposition

from
into
off
…

phrases

cut and paste
cut somebody/something free
cut somebody/something loose
…

See full entry

divide

[transitive] to divide something into two or more pieces with a knife, etc.

cut something Don't cut the string, untie the knots.
The bus was cut in two by the train.
Now cut the tomatoes in half.
cut something into something He cut the loaf into thick slices.

hair/nails/grass, etc.

[transitive] to make something shorter by cutting

cut something She cuts hair for a living.
to cut the grass/lawn/hedge
the smell of freshly cut grass
cut something + adj. He's had his hair cut really short.

Extra Examples

I'm going to get/have my hair cut really short.
Her hair had been very well cut.
I told the stylist I wanted my hair cut short.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

thick
thinly
cleanly
…

preposition

from
into
off
…

phrases

cut and paste
cut somebody/something free
cut somebody/something loose
…

See full entry

remove with knife

[transitive] to remove something or a part of something, using a knife, etc.

cut something First, cut a long piece of string.
cut something from something He cut four thick slices from the loaf.
a bunch of cut flowers
cut somebody something I cut them all a piece of birthday cake.
cut something for somebody I cut a piece of birthday cake for them all.

Extra Examples

freshly cut flowers
Shall I cut you a piece of cake?

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

thick
thinly
cleanly
…

preposition

from
into
off
…

phrases

cut and paste
cut somebody/something free
cut somebody/something loose
…

See full entry

[transitive] to make or form something by removing material with a knife, etc.

cut something in something Workmen cut a hole in the pipe.
The climbers cut steps in the ice.
cut something into something homemade biscuits cut into heart shapes
cut something Cut a circle of waxed paper to fit the bottom of the pan.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

thick
thinly
cleanly
…

preposition

from
into
off
…

phrases

cut and paste
cut somebody/something free
cut somebody/something loose
…

See full entry

able to cut/be cut

[intransitive] to be capable of cutting

This knife won't cut.

[intransitive] to be capable of being cut

Sandstone cuts easily.

reduce

[transitive] to reduce something by removing a part of it

cut something to cut costs/prices/spending/taxes
Buyers will bargain hard to cut the cost of the house they want.
a plan to drastically cut emissions
cut something by… His salary has been cut by ten per cent.
cut something to… The Bank of England has cut interest rates to 1.5 per cent.
cut something from… to… Could you cut your essay from 5 000 to 3 000 words?

Synonyms cutcut

slash
cut something back
scale something back
rationalize
downsize

These words all mean to reduce the amount or size of something, especially of an amount of money or a business.

cut
to reduce something, especially an amount of money that is demanded, spent, earned, etc. or the size of a business:
- The President has promised to cut taxes significantly.
- Buyers will bargain hard to cut the cost of the house they want.
- His salary has been cut by ten per cent.
- Could you cut your essay from 5 000 to 3 000 words?
slash
[often passive] (rather informal) (often used in newspapers) to reduce something by a large amount:
- The workforce has been slashed by half.
cut something back/cut back on something
to reduce something, especially an amount of money or business:
- We had to cut back production.
scale something back
(especially North American English or business) to reduce something, especially an amount of money or business:
- The IMF has scaled back its growth forecasts for the next decade.
rationalize (British English, business) to make changes to a business or system, in order to make it more efficient, especially by spending less money.
downsize (business) to make a company or an organization smaller by reducing the number of jobs in it, in order to reduce costs. Downsize is often used by people who want to avoid saying more obvious words like ‘dismiss’ or ‘make redundant’ because they sound too negative.

Patterns

to cut/slash/cut back on/scale back/rationalize spending/production
to cut/slash/cut back on jobs
to cut/slash/downsize the workforce
to cut/slash/rationalize the cost of something
to cut/slash prices/taxes/the budget
to cut something/slash something/cut something back drastically

Extra Examples

We have managed to cut our costs drastically.
The department has to cut its spending by 30 per cent.
The price has been cut from €250 to €175.
The President has promised to cut taxes significantly.

Topics Moneyb1

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

considerably
dramatically
drastically
…

verb + cut

try to
manage to
be forced to
…

preposition

by
from
to
…

See full entry

release

[transitive] to allow somebody to escape from somewhere by cutting the rope, object, etc. that is holding them

cut somebody (from something) The injured driver had to be cut from the wreckage.
cut somebody + adj. Two survivors were cut free after being trapped for twenty minutes.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

thick
thinly
cleanly
…

preposition

from
into
off
…

phrases

cut and paste
cut somebody/something free
cut somebody/something loose
…

See full entry

clothing

[transitive, usually passive] to design and make a piece of clothing in a particular way

be cut + adj. The swimsuit was cut high in the leg.

remove

[transitive] cut something (from something) to remove something from something

This scene was cut from the final version of the movie.

computing

[intransitive, transitive] cut (something) to delete (= remove) part of a text on a computer screen in order to place it somewhere else

You can cut and paste between different programs.

Topics Computersb2

stop

[transitive] cut something (informal) used to tell somebody to stop doing something

Cut the chatter and get on with your work!

end

[transitive] cut something to completely end a relationship or all communication with somebody synonym sever

She has cut all ties with her family.
He has refused to cut links with these companies.

in movie/TV

[transitive] cut something to prepare a film or tape by removing parts of it or putting them in a different order synonym edit see also director’s cutTopics Film and theatrec1

[intransitive] (usually used in orders) to stop filming or recording

The director shouted ‘Cut!’

[intransitive] cut (from something) to something (in films, radio or television) to move quickly from one scene to another

The scene cuts from the bedroom to the street.

miss class

[transitive] cut something (informal, especially North American English) to stay away from a class that you should go to

He's always cutting class.

upset

[transitive] cut somebody to hurt somebody emotionally

His cruel remarks cut her deeply.

in card games

[intransitive, transitive] cut (something) to divide a pack of playing cards by lifting a section from the top, in order to reveal a card to decide who is to play first, etc.

Let's cut for dealer.

Wordfinder

ace
card
cut
deal
gambling
hand
jack
shuffle
suit
trump

geometry

[transitive] cut something (of a line) to cross another line

The line cuts the circle at two points.

a tooth

[transitive] cut a tooth to have a new tooth beginning to appear through the gum

When did she cut her first tooth?

a disc, etc.

[transitive] cut a disc, etc. to make a sound recording on a record, CD, etc.

The Beatles cut their first disc in 1962.

Topics Musicc2

drug

[transitive] cut something (with something) to mix an illegal drug such as heroin with another substance

Word OriginMiddle English (probably existing, although not recorded, in Old English); probably of Germanic origin and related to Norwegian kutte and Icelandic kuta ‘cut with a small knife’, kuti ‘small blunt knife’.

Idioms Most idioms containing cut are at the entries for the nouns and adjectives in the idioms, for example cut your losses is at loss.

cut and run

(informal) to make a quick or sudden escape

(not) cut it

(informal) to (not) be as good as is expected or needed
- He won't cut it as a professional singer.

cut

noun

/kʌt/

Idioms

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wound

a wound caused by something sharp

cuts and bruises on the face
Blood poured from the deep cut on his arm.

Extra Examples

Clean the cut and cover it to prevent infection.
He has a small cut on his finger.
One man was attacked and suffered cuts to his face.
She got a bad cut over her right eye.
He came home covered in cuts and bruises.
She suffered only minor cuts and grazes as a result of the accident.

Topics Illnessb1

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

bad
deep
nasty
…

verb + cut

have
get
suffer
…

cut + verb

heal

preposition

cut on
cut to

phrases

cuts and bruises
cuts and scrapes

See full entry

hole

a hole or an opening in something, made with something sharp

Using sharp scissors, make a small cut in the material.
a high-quality blade that gives a clean cut

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

clean
neat
little
…

verb + cut

make
give

preposition

cut in

See full entry

reduction

a reduction in amount, size, supply, etc.

tax/budget/price/funding cuts
The company has made another round of job cuts this year.
cut in something They announced cuts in public spending.
They had to take a 20% cut in pay.

of hair

[usually singular] an act of cutting somebody’s hair; the style in which it is cut

Your hair could do with a cut (= it is too long).
a cut and blow-dry
The stylish cut of her hair is distinctively modern and urban.

of clothing

[usually singular] the shape and style that a piece of clothing has because of the way the cloth is cut

the elegant cut of her dress
trousers with a loose cut designed for comfortable wear

see also bias-cut, boot-cut, low-cutTopics Clothes and Fashionc1

share of money

a share in something, especially money

They were rewarded with a cut of 5% from the profits.

Extra Examples

He takes a cut of the profits.
If there's money to be made from selling photos of her, she wants her cut.
By the time the organizers have had their cut, there won't be much left.
There wasn't much left after his agents took their cut.

Topics Moneyc1

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + cut

get
have
take
…

preposition

cut of

See full entry

of film/play, etc.

cut (in something) an act of removing part of a film, play, piece of writing, etc.

The director objected to the cuts ordered by the censor.
She made some cuts before handing over the finished novel.

Topics Film and theatrec1

meat

a piece of meat cut from an animal

a lean cut of pork
cheap cuts of stewing lamb
The recipe calls for a good lean cut of beef.