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

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.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

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.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

With a wink and a flick of her ponytail, Sue and six other dancers — all sporting shiny, one-piece leotards with gratuitous cutouts — begin to gyrate, thrust, and squat to throbbing electronic music.

Read more on Salon

I had boyfriends and friends with benefits and cutouts of my idols: Victoria’s Secret models like Adriana Lima taped to the walls of my childhood bedroom.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Even from his prison cell in The Hague, former President Duterte ran for mayor of Davao, and won easily, even though all voters got to see of him was a life-size cardboard cutout.

Read more on BBC

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.