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.
Compounding those worries is fresh economic research arguing that frustration among employers like Crawford over how working-from-home policies have played out might have caused them to cut back on hiring young workers altogether.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 29, 2026
If you’re not looking to drop $100 right now, there are other low-cost and no-cost adjustments you can make to cut back on bills while keeping cool.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 29, 2026
Vinicius Jr collected the ball on the left side of the box, cut back on to his right foot and bent an unstoppable shot into the far corner.
From BBC • Jun. 24, 2026
The stock has slumped 47% over the past year, tumbling as inflation-weary consumers cut back on restaurant spending.
From Barron's • Jun. 24, 2026
By early June, he had decided he would take the summer off, and maybe cut back his workweek when he returned to the firm.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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.
