cut short

Idioms  

1. Abbreviate, stop abruptly, as in The thunderstorm cut short our picnic, or She cut her short, saying she'd already heard the story of their breakup. Shakespeare used this term to mean “put a sudden end to someone's life”: “Rather than bloody war shall cut them short” (2 Henry VI, 4:4), a less common usage today. The broader usage dates from the mid-1600s.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cut short

That role was cut short, however, by Prada's acquisition of the flashy luxury label famous for its Medusa logo, owned by Capri Holdings Limited.

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

The scandal surrounding Oscar Wilde’s final years cut short his life—and changed how his work would be perceived long afterward.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

He said passengers were initially offered a 15% refund due to the air conditioning problems, which was increased to 40% when the cruise was cut short on the penultimate day.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

South Korea's annual joint military drills with the US will be cut short by six days at the request of Washington, its defence ministry has announced.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

I remember quite clearly what he looked like: tall, slightly stooped, dark hair cut short, brown eyes that seemed to focus two inches behind the bridge of my nose, and that acne.

From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood

Related Words

• abort
• break off
• curtail
• halt
• hinder
• interrupt
• postpone
• quit
• shorten
• terminate