cut down

British  

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

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cut down Idioms  

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

2. 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]

3. 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]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cut down

They eliminate chopping, cut down on dishes and make the first few minutes of cooking almost frictionless.

From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026

The most recent instance of this involves the East Potomac Golf Links, a historic golf course Trump wishes to redesign but has faced legal setbacks after hundreds of trees were cut down for the project.

From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026

But they can be cut down to size.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026

Under the proposed contract, investigators would no longer be given “unfettered access” to license plate data and the retention period would be significantly cut down, he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

Once, when Peter’s father was about to cut down a tree, Pax had watched Peter climb it to take down a nest and move it to another tree.

From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker

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