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.

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Example Sentences

His horse’s body and skin were both stark white, and his hair black, cut short, and his eyes green.

From Literature

Her gray hair is cut short, almost in the same style Dr.

From Literature

Poko, a former high school and junior college defensive lineman whose career was cut short by a foot injury, was in the latter group.

From Los Angeles Times

Her predecessors' terms were cut short by falling public support and scandals.

From BBC

And Speed cut short a rare solemn moment in Addis Ababa when he was visiting the tomb of the Emperor Haile Selassie - because of the internet connection lagging.

From BBC

Related Words

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