cut out

British  

verb

1. (tr) to delete or remove

2. (tr) to shape or form by cutting

   to cut out a dress

3. (tr; usually passive) to suit or equip for

   you're not cut out for this job

4. (intr) (of an engine, etc) to cease to operate suddenly

5. (tr) printing to remove the background from a photograph or drawing to make the outline of the subject stand out

6. (intr) (of an electrical device) to switch off, usually automatically

7. informal (tr) to oust and supplant (a rival)

8. (intr) (of a person) to be excluded from a card game

9. informal (tr) to cease doing something, esp something undesirable (esp in the phrase cut it out )

10. (tr) soccer to intercept (a pass)

11. (tr) to separate (cattle) from a herd

12. (intr) to end or finish

    the road cuts out at the creek

13. to have as much work as one can manage

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noun

1. something that has been or is intended to be cut out from something else

2. a photograph or drawing from which the background has been cut away

3. a device that switches off or interrupts an electric circuit, esp a switch acting as a safety device

4. an impressed stamp cut out from an envelope for collecting purposes

5. slang the end of shearing

cut out Idioms  

1. Excise, remove as if by cutting; also, form or shape as if by cutting or carving. For example, Young children love cutting out pictures from magazines , or The first step is cutting out the dress pattern . The first usage dates from about 1400, the second from the mid-1500s.

2. Oust, replace, or supplant someone, as in He cut out all her other boyfriends . [Mid-1600s]

3. Also, cut out for . Suited or fitted by nature, as in Dean's not cut out for lexicography . [Mid-1600s]

4. Also, cut out for . Assigned beforehand, prepared, predetermined, as in We have our work cut out for us . [Early 1600s]

5. Deprive, as in He cut her out of his will . [Early 1800s]

6. Stop, cease, as in He cut out the motor , or Cut out that noise! [c. 1900] Also see cut it out .

7. Leave, especially in a hurry; also, run away. For example, I'm cutting out right now , or At the first hint of a police raid they cut out . [ Slang ; first half of 1800s] Also see cut and run ; cut the comedy .

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Example Sentences

But you do have some work cut out for you, precisely because of your wealth.

From MarketWatch

Pauley finished her senior year, sometimes cutting out of class early to help out at home and catching up with notes from classmates.

From Los Angeles Times

While much more research on the exact harms needs to be done, manufacturers have their work cut out.

From The Wall Street Journal

I would rather spend it figuring out how to enjoy adding something in than obsessing over what I need to cut out.

From Salon

Davis and Bostock both broadcast at their university's radio station where they keep a life-size cut out of Cyrus – given to them after the singer surprised them live on BBC Radio 1 last year.

From BBC

Related Words

• carve
• delete
• eliminate
• extract
• pull out
• sever