cut it
Idioms-
Also, cut that . Stop, as in I won't stand for that—cut it! or If you don't cut that, I'll tell . [ Slang ; first half of 1800s] Also see cut it out .
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Manage, tolerate, as in I don't know how he can cut it . [ Slang ; c. 1900]
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Be effective, prove satisfactory, as in She's getting old and can no longer cut it . [Late 1900s] For a synonym see cut the mustard . Also see the subsequent entries beginning with cut it .
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.
Ms. Hall’s short hair, which sometimes looks like she cut it herself, is close enough to Kyle’s to seize our attention.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
The language echoes Sir Keir's attempted reset speech on Monday, when the prime minister said "incremental change won't cut it" and promised to "face up to the big challenges" the country faced.
From BBC • May 13, 2026
Fans and air conditioners won’t cut it anymore.
From Barron's • May 6, 2026
“When funding is cut, it brings a world of pain,” said Mayra Castañeda, an ultrasound technologist and a member of SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026
Still, if I cut it out and left it in a place where he couldn’t miss it, well, maybe.
From "The World According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney
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.
