cutout

[kuht-out]

noun

1. something cut out from something else, as a pattern or figure cut out or intended to be cut out of paper, cardboard, or other material.

2. a valve in the exhaust pipe of an internal-combustion engine, which when open permits the engine to exhaust directly into the air ahead of the muffler.

3. an act or instance of cutting out.

4. Slang.,  a trusted intermediary between two espionage agents or agencies.

5. Electricity.,  a device for the manual or automatic interruption of electric current.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cutout¹

First recorded in 1790–1800; noun use of verb phrase cut out

Example Sentences

Cardboard cutouts of corgis even adorn the entrance to Mejia’s office at City Hall East, making it resemble the dorm room of an especially proud dog parent.

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A President Reagan cardboard cutout also greeted visitors.

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“Chairs might as well be filled with human-shaped cardboard cutouts,” he wrote.

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Not that he has forgotten his old teams, as a large cutout of Gibson celebrating in a Detroit Tigers uniform can be found in the center.

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First was designing and building a handsome, waist-level fence to frame the coming landscape, all while welcoming visitors with a wide cutout at the gate.

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Related Words

• broker 
• emissary 
• go-between 
• mediator 
• negotiator www.thesaurus.com

When To Use

What is a cutout?

A cutout is something that is cut from something else, such as an image of a celebrity printed on a large sheet of cardboard with all the unprinted cardboard cut away.To cut out is to shape or form by cutting. The result is a cutout, as in When Darby made the wooden dollhouse, he made sure to include square cutouts in the walls to represent windows.In electrical engineering, a cutout is a device that interrupts the electrical current to a device, such as a lamp.Example: There was a cutout of the celebrity outside the theater on opening weekend.