cut short

Idioms  

1. Abbreviate, stop abruptly, as in The thunderstorm cut short our picnic, or She cut her short, saying she'd already heard the story of their breakup. Shakespeare used this term to mean “put a sudden end to someone's life”: “Rather than bloody war shall cut them short” (2 Henry VI, 4:4), a less common usage today. The broader usage dates from the mid-1600s.

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cut short

But in the capital, leading museums including the Louvre will be closed on Saturday while the Art Basel art fair is being cut short.

From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026

The September test flight, its 14th from its south Texas launch site, sent the rocket into orbit for the first time but was cut short due to safety concerns.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

On another occasion Kelly's surgery was cut short because the theatre was needed for an urgent case.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

They gathered to remember "a girl like no other" - a trailblazing rugby player whose exploits on the pitch were cruelly cut short by her death at just 33.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

Chipper’s tail was cut short because he had caught it in the wheel and chopped about a quarter of it off.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• abort
• break off
• curtail
• halt
• hinder
• interrupt
• postpone
• quit
• shorten
• terminate

---