cut it
Idioms-
Also, cut that . Stop, as in I won't stand for that—cut it! or If you don't cut that, I'll tell . [ Slang ; first half of 1800s] Also see cut it out .
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Manage, tolerate, as in I don't know how he can cut it . [ Slang ; c. 1900]
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Be effective, prove satisfactory, as in She's getting old and can no longer cut it . [Late 1900s] For a synonym see cut the mustard . Also see the subsequent entries beginning with cut it .
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.
Ellison’s promise to release 30 movies a year, following the merger, won’t cut it, the attorney general said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
Bruno Guimaraes is a good signing and while Christos Tzolis could not cut it at Norwich - the jersey was too big for him - he looks the part too.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
My benchmark is total return, and bonds don’t cut it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
It was on line and probably would have nailed the hustling Gantner but John cut it off, then threw wildly past catcher Don Slaught and into the Brewers’ dugout as Gantner scored.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Her hair still looks like she cut it with her eyes shut.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
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.
