cut back
Idioms-
Shorten by cutting, prune, as in It's time we cut back these bushes . [1860s]
-
Reduce, decrease, as in They are going to cut back defense spending , or We have to cut back production . [c. 1940] Also see cut to the bone .
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.
Six are run by first-time female showrunners, a notable number at a time when the industry has cut back and women have historically had fewer chances to lead series.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
She said she has cut back on buying clothing and the like in recent years but takes a few trips a year to give her son new experiences.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
In response, some schools have cut back on programs aimed at helping minority students, even relatively benign initiatives like special orientation events, and Black and Latino enrollment at top universities has fallen.
From Slate ● Sep. 3, 2026
They might cut back on food or savings to compensate for a rent increase, or move farther away from their job to make the numbers work.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
A few seconds later, she knew it had spotted her, its screaming turn echoing through the forest as it cut back to the river.
From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld
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.
