cutout
Americannoun
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cutouts
plural
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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.
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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.
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an act or instance of cutting out.
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Slang. a trusted intermediary between two espionage agents or agencies.
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Electricity. a device for the manual or automatic interruption of electric current.
Usage
What is a cutout? A cutout is something that is cut from something else, such as an image of a celebrity printed on a large sheet of cardboard with all the unprinted cardboard cut away. To cut out is to shape or form by cutting. The result is a cutout, as in When Darby made the wooden dollhouse, he made sure to include square cutouts in the walls to represent windows. In electrical engineering, a cutout is a device that interrupts the electrical current to a device, such as a lamp. Example: There was a cutout of the celebrity outside the theater on opening weekend.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of cutout
First recorded in 1790–1800; noun use of verb phrase cut out
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A cardboard cutout of Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, a Spurs flag and painted banner, and a signed card from Spurs owner Peter Holt greet customers.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
Patni commemorated Akash with a framed photograph and a life-size cutout, decorated with flowers and surrounded by scattered rose petals and lit lamps.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
When you walk into the museum, you are met by a life-size cardboard cutout of Pusser, who was a formidable 6-foot-6.
From Slate ● Nov. 6, 2025
OROSZLÁNY, Hungary—Jabbing his finger at a life-size cardboard cutout of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Péter Magyar wooed the voters of this coal-mining town with a feisty speech about corruption and economic decline.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2025
Not real ones, but cutout paper snowflakes, bordering all the chalkboards.
From "The World According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney
An annual dating wrapped party, where dozens of friends gather to see her yearly stats and snack on cupcakes adorned with cutouts of her exes’ faces.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
This is my memory: it was a high-rise building in Century City, in the offices of “King of the Hill,” so there was a lot of like “King of the Hill” cutouts and stuff there.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
Customers wield big Messi head cutouts, and the bar offers a cocktail dubbed the Messi Mule.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 11, 2026
They’re not cardboard cutouts, exactly, but they’re blank enough slates for us to project onto.
From Slate ● Mar. 13, 2026
This one has paper star cutouts all over the door, and written on the stars are names.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
