cutback

American  

[kuht-bak] / ˈkʌtˌbæk /

noun

1. a reduction in rate, quantity, etc..

   a cutback in production.

2. a return in the course of a story, motion picture, etc., to earlier events.

3. 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.

4. a maneuver in surfing of heading the surfboard back toward a wave's crest.

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cutback British  

/ ˈkʌtˌbæk /

noun

1. a decrease or reduction

2. another word (esp US) for flashback

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verb

1. (tr) to shorten by cutting off the end; prune

2. to reduce or make a reduction (in)

3. (intr) (in films) to show an event that took place earlier in the narrative; flash back

Etymology

Origin of cutback

First recorded in 1895–1900; noun use of verb phrase cut back

Example Sentences

A double whammy of cutbacks in venture capital and government funding have taken a toll, leading to layoffs and struggles for job seekers.

From The Wall Street Journal

The first chance of the opening half fell to Diallo, who fired wide after connecting with a cutback.

From Barron's

At small businesses, which are unable to withstand economic headwinds as easily as their larger counterparts, years of high inflation, increasingly cautious consumers and tariffs are weighing on earnings and prompting cutbacks.

From The Wall Street Journal

Eventually, there would be cutbacks in programming costs, “but that’s not the bulk of the savings,” Neumann said.

From Los Angeles Times

Calderon said he had heard from numerous school districts across the state that had been dipping into reserve funds to avoid layoffs and cutbacks since the Secure Rural Schools Act expired.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• belt-tightening
• decline
• reduction
• reversal