- present participle of cut.
cutting
Americannoun
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cuttings
plural
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the act of a person or thing that cuts.
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something cut, cut off, or cut out.
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Horticulture. a piece, as a root, stem, or leaf, cut from a plant and used for propagation.
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something made by cutting, as a recording.
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a form of repetitive self-injury in which a person deliberately cuts the skin, as to cope with stress or negative emotions.
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Manège.
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the removal of a specific animal from a herd of cattle, as performed by a ranch horse.
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a competitive exhibition in which horses demonstrate this skill.
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Chiefly British. a clipping from a newspaper, magazine, etc.
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British. a trenchlike excavation, especially through a hill, as one made in constructing a highway.
adjective
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able to cut or slice.
a cutting blade.
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piercing, as a wind.
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wounding the feelings severely; sarcastic.
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Manège. relating to or noting a horse bred or trained for the ranching task of separating a specific animal from a herd of cattle, or the competitive exhibition of this skill: The last day of the rodeo was dedicated to the cutting competition and barrel racing finals.
Champion cutting horses are bred for agility.
The last day of the rodeo was dedicated to the cutting competition and barrel racing finals.
noun
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a piece cut off from the main part of something
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horticulture
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a method of vegetative propagation in which a part of a plant, such as a stem or leaf, is induced to form its own roots
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a part separated for this purpose
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Also called (esp US and Canadian): clipping. an article, photograph, etc, cut from a newspaper or other publication
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the editing process by which a film is cut and made
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an excavation in a piece of high land for a road, railway, etc, enabling it to remain at approximately the same level
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informal sharp-wittedness
there is no cutting in him
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(modifier) designed for or adapted to cutting; edged; sharp
a cutting tool
adjective
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keen; piercing
a cutting wind
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tending to hurt the feelings
a cutting remark
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of cutting
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; see origin at cut, -ing 1, -ing 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Plus, if mortgage rates do rise further, the mortgage-rate buydowns that home builders have been relying on to drive sales would become more expensive, cutting into profits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Families with children typically spend more, so cutting back would require things like planning low-cost meals, saying no to prepared and convenience foods, making use of leftovers and bringing lunch to work.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
Some are cutting prices while others roll out more deals in hopes that budget-conscious consumers will make a purchase.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
That inevitably reignites debate around extreme weight cutting, but there is also a more immediate sporting concern.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
The scented wax burner that’s always on at Zara’s house is here too, cutting through the smell of bleach and smothered air, a reminder of home.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
All they had to do was obtain cuttings from berry plants on existing farms, then reproduce them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
More than 2,000 plant cuttings will be available to people who have booked online on Wednesday, with two more opportunities to collect plants scheduled later in the year.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
It has also become easy for the couple to grow their jungle simply by swapping plants and trading cuttings of their more unusual plants through the online community they have built up.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
"A survival strategy starts with finding clean cuttings in the wild before myrtle rust attacks them and propagating them to grow at safe sites," he said.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 13, 2026
Unlike later tree domesticates, they could be grown directly by being planted as cuttings or even seeds.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
