cut out

British  

verb

1. (tr) to delete or remove

2. (tr) to shape or form by cutting

   to cut out a dress

3. (tr; usually passive) to suit or equip for

   you're not cut out for this job

4. (intr) (of an engine, etc) to cease to operate suddenly

5. (tr) printing to remove the background from a photograph or drawing to make the outline of the subject stand out

6. (intr) (of an electrical device) to switch off, usually automatically

7. informal (tr) to oust and supplant (a rival)

8. (intr) (of a person) to be excluded from a card game

9. informal (tr) to cease doing something, esp something undesirable (esp in the phrase cut it out )

10. (tr) soccer to intercept (a pass)

11. (tr) to separate (cattle) from a herd

12. (intr) to end or finish

    the road cuts out at the creek

13. to have as much work as one can manage

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noun

1. something that has been or is intended to be cut out from something else

2. a photograph or drawing from which the background has been cut away

3. a device that switches off or interrupts an electric circuit, esp a switch acting as a safety device

4. an impressed stamp cut out from an envelope for collecting purposes

5. slang the end of shearing

cut out Idioms  

1. Excise, remove as if by cutting; also, form or shape as if by cutting or carving. For example, Young children love cutting out pictures from magazines , or The first step is cutting out the dress pattern . The first usage dates from about 1400, the second from the mid-1500s.

2. Oust, replace, or supplant someone, as in He cut out all her other boyfriends . [Mid-1600s]

3. Also, cut out for . Suited or fitted by nature, as in Dean's not cut out for lexicography . [Mid-1600s]

4. Also, cut out for . Assigned beforehand, prepared, predetermined, as in We have our work cut out for us . [Early 1600s]

5. Deprive, as in He cut her out of his will . [Early 1800s]

6. Stop, cease, as in He cut out the motor , or Cut out that noise! [c. 1900] Also see cut it out .

7. Leave, especially in a hurry; also, run away. For example, I'm cutting out right now , or At the first hint of a police raid they cut out . [ Slang ; first half of 1800s] Also see cut and run ; cut the comedy .

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cut out

Stefano Utoikamanu streaked through after Isaiya Katoa's superb inside pass cut out George Williams and Kai Pearce-Paul, to the delight of the massed Tongan fans in Perth.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

In the eighth, with one out, Will Smith cut out the middle man by doubling into the right-field corner and advancing to third when Milwaukee’s Sal Frelick misplayed the carom off the wall.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Despite the change in venue, some things are universal in Nigeria, whose creaking grid is as infamous as Lagos traffic: as the models prepped backstage Friday, the power briefly cut out.

From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026

The threat to financial firms extends beyond the potential that robots will cut out some human advisers and their fees.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

“I don’t need to go,” Matt said, only half awake and pulling his pillow tightly over his head to cut out the noise of the train.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

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Related Words

• carve
• delete
• eliminate
• extract
• pull out
• sever

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