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.
Cut back on plastic use and stop indulging in fast fashion.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 9, 2024
Cut back dead leaves or branches when you bring the plants inside, so they can focus their energy on living leaves and new growth.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 15, 2021
Cut back spring growth by about a half.
From Washington Post • May 28, 2019
Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci on Tuesday gave candid advice to President Donald Trump: Cut back on your habit of lying to the American public.
From Salon • Oct. 28, 2018
Cut back the leader once a year at first at about 12 or 15 inches from the branch below to one bud just above the buds whence the branches are to spring.
From The Book of Pears and Plums by Bartrum, Edward
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.
