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

See Examples For:

cut short

Many are anxious about the fate of their homes, while others have had their holidays abruptly cut short.

From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026

Jon Bon Jovi’s “Forever” tour stop was cut short after the singer said he needed to cool it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

Together, they form a rich yet incomplete portrait of an existence cut short, which McElwee hopes to broaden by weaving in meaning from before and after Adrian’s life, all captured by McElwee’s omnipresent camera.

From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026

Around them, brothers and sisters play between the headstones of siblings whose lives were cut short.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

For the CIA, unexpected news from Moscow cut short celebrations over the end of the standoff with the USSR.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

Related Words

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