cut short

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

On the other hand, you also run the risk of having your life cut short by violent means if you don’t at least try to placate both parties.

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A parliamentary colleague complained he was "pushy" on the climate, and his big ambitions as minister were cut short when Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine sent energy prices soaring.

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That guy was cut short, and there was a huge career ahead of him.

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She is the fourth PM in just five years, after her predecessors' terms were cut short by plunging ratings and scandals.

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He began as a player, batting for Yorkshire and Leicestershire before an injury cut short his career in 1964.

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Related Words

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