cutout

[ kuht-out ]
See synonyms for cutout on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. something cut out from something else, as a pattern or figure cut out or intended to be cut out of paper, cardboard, or other material.

  2. a valve in the exhaust pipe of an internal-combustion engine, which when open permits the engine to exhaust directly into the air ahead of the muffler.

  1. an act or instance of cutting out.

  2. Slang. a trusted intermediary between two espionage agents or agencies.

  3. Electricity. a device for the manual or automatic interruption of electric current.

Origin of cutout

1
First recorded in 1790–1800; noun use of verb phrase cut out

Words Nearby cutout

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cutout in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cut out

cut out

verb(adverb)
  1. (tr) to delete or remove

  2. (tr) to shape or form by cutting: to cut out a dress

  1. (tr; usually passive) to suit or equip for: you're not cut out for this job

  2. (intr) (of an engine, etc) to cease to operate suddenly

  3. (tr) printing to remove the background from a photograph or drawing to make the outline of the subject stand out

  4. (intr) (of an electrical device) to switch off, usually automatically

  5. (tr) informal to oust and supplant (a rival)

  6. (intr) (of a person) to be excluded from a card game

  7. (tr) informal to cease doing something, esp something undesirable (esp in the phrase cut it out)

  8. (tr) soccer to intercept (a pass)

  9. (tr) to separate (cattle) from a herd

  10. (intr) Australian and NZ to end or finish: the road cuts out at the creek

  11. have one's work cut out to have as much work as one can manage

nouncutout
  1. something that has been or is intended to be cut out from something else

  2. a photograph or drawing from which the background has been cut away

  1. a device that switches off or interrupts an electric circuit, esp a switch acting as a safety device

  2. an impressed stamp cut out from an envelope for collecting purposes

  3. Australian slang the end of shearing

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with cutout

cutout

Excise, remove as if by cutting; also, form or shape as if by cutting or carving. For example, Young children love cutting out pictures from magazines, or The first step is cutting out the dress pattern. The first usage dates from about 1400, the second from the mid-1500s.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.