cutout
Americannoun
-
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.
-
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.
-
an act or instance of cutting out.
-
Slang. a trusted intermediary between two espionage agents or agencies.
-
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:
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
Her home is a shrine to Regency England; a life-size cutout of actor Colin Firth—from what many consider the best of the many renditions of “Pride & Prejudice”—stands watch over her much-ruffled bedroom.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 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
First was designing and building a handsome, waist-level fence to frame the coming landscape, all while welcoming visitors with a wide cutout at the gate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2025
Usually what he saw was Nipper’s silhouette, a clear black cutout on the golden sunlit shade.
From "Wringer" by Jerry Spinelli
They affixed headshot cutouts of their parents from photos and placed them above paper cutouts of a wedding dress and a tuxedo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Embassy event marking America’s 250th anniversary, which featured life-size cutouts of Trump officials for photo takers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026
Cardboard cutouts of photographers are stationed along the route during the Red Bull Soapbox Race in downtown Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 17, 2026
They’re not cardboard cutouts, exactly, but they’re blank enough slates for us to project onto.
From Slate ● Mar. 13, 2026
None of their personalities had been left in the rooms, except for the two paintings on the wardrobe doors, the lady cutouts, and the little picture of the boat.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
