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

Poko, a former high school and junior college defensive lineman whose career was cut short by a foot injury, was in the latter group.

From Los Angeles Times

Her predecessors' terms were cut short by falling public support and scandals.

From BBC

And Speed cut short a rare solemn moment in Addis Ababa when he was visiting the tomb of the Emperor Haile Selassie - because of the internet connection lagging.

From BBC

Their journey was cut short because of medical issue involving one crew member, Nasa said.

From BBC

Unlike thieves who carry weapons into museums or use axes to smash-and-grab, art-world scammers rarely get violent—so their prison sentences often get cut short.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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