cutback
[ kuht-bak ]
/ ˈkʌtˌbæk /
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noun
a reduction in rate, quantity, etc.: a cutback in production.
a return in the course of a story, motion picture, etc., to earlier events.
Football. a play in which the ball-carrier abruptly reverses direction, especially by starting to make an end run and then turning suddenly to run toward the middle of the line.
a maneuver in surfing of heading the surfboard back toward a wave's crest.
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QUIZ YOURSELF ON PARENTHESES AND BRACKETS APLENTY!
Set some time apart to test your bracket symbol knowledge, and see if you can keep your parentheses, squares, curlies, and angles all straight!
Question 1 of 7
Let’s start with some etymology: What are the origins of the typographical word “bracket”?
First appeared around 1750, and is related to the French word “braguette” for the name of codpiece armor.
First appeared in 1610, based on the French word “baguette” for the long loaf of bread.
First appeared in 1555, and is related to the French word “raquette” for a netted bat.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT Origin of cutback
First recorded in 1895–1900; noun use of verb phrase cut back
Words nearby cutback
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for cutback
British Dictionary definitions for cutback
cutback
/ (ˈkʌtˌbæk) /
noun
a decrease or reduction
another word (esp US) for flashback
verb cut back (adverb)
(tr) to shorten by cutting off the end; prune
(when intr, foll by on) to reduce or make a reduction (in)
(intr) mainly US (in films) to show an event that took place earlier in the narrative; flash back
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Idioms and Phrases with cutback
cut back
Shorten by cutting, prune, as in It's time we cut back these bushes. [1860s]
Reduce, decrease, as in They are going to cut back defense spending, or We have to cut back production. [c. 1940] Also see cut to the bone.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.