cut down

verb

1. (tr) to fell

2. to reduce or make a reduction (in)

   to cut down on drink

3. (tr) to remake (an old garment) in order to make a smaller one

4. (tr) to kill

   he was cut down in battle

5. to reduce in importance or decrease the conceit of

Idioms and Phrases

Kill, as in The troops were cut down one by one as they crossed the field . [Early 1800s]

Also, cut down on . Reduce, decrease, as in I want to cut down my caffeine intake , or We have to cut down on our expenses . [Mid-1800s]

cut down to size ; knock down to size . Reduce the self-importance of, humble, as in He's so arrogant—I wish someone would cut him down to size , or She really got knocked down to size when her class ranking slipped . [Early 1900s]

Example Sentences

However, there are guardrails you can put in place to feel more in control of your funds and cut down on impulse spending, like making it harder to shop on your phone.

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However, unlike most nations, it is not the burning of fossil fuels that is the worst culprit in releasing these gases, but the cutting down of forests.

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It has shown signs it could regrow after it was maliciously cut down by two men from Cumbria, but visitors leaving physical tributes could put the tree at risk, the charity said.

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Carvana made its name betting that its online model cuts down on that complexity, and now it is setting its sights on same-day delivery to cut down on vehicle wait times.

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Three "storm-related deaths" on the Caribbean island have already been attributed to the storm - as people prepared by cutting down trees - as well as four deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

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