cutter

American  

[kuht-er] / ˈkʌt ər /

noun

• cutters
  plural

1. a person who cuts, especially as a job, as one who cuts fabric for garments.

2. a machine, tool, or other device for cutting.

3. Nautical.

   1. a single-masted sailing vessel, very similar to a sloop but having its mast set somewhat farther astern, about two-fifths of the way aft measured on the water line.

   2. a ship's boat having double-banked oars and one or two lugsails.

4. Also called revenue cutter. a lightly armed government vessel used to prevent smuggling and enforce the customs regulations.

5. a person who repeatedly inflicts self-injury by cutting the skin, as to cope with negative emotions.

6. a person employed as a film editor.

7. a small, light sleigh, usually single-seated and pulled by one horse.

8. Also called rubber. a brick suitable for cutting and rubbing.

9. (in U.S. government grading of beef )

   1. a low-quality grade of beef between utility and canner.

   2. beef of this grade, mostly used in processed beef products, as sausage.

10. Baseball. cut fastball.

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adjective

1. (in U.S. government grading of beef ) graded between utility and canner.

cutter British  

/ ˈkʌtə /

noun

1. a person or thing that cuts, esp a person who cuts cloth for clothing

2. a sailing boat with its mast stepped further aft so as to have a larger foretriangle than that of a sloop

3. a ship's boat, powered by oars or sail, for carrying passengers or light cargo

4. a small lightly armed boat, as used in the enforcement of customs regulations

5. a pig weighing between 68 and 82 kg, from which fillets and larger joints are cut

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• cutters
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of cutter

First recorded in 1375–1425; Middle English kittere, cuttere; see cut, -er ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cutter cutters

Every year, a person of special importance serves as the ceremonial guitar string cutter to open the festivities.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026

In an 0-and-2 count, Hernández sent a cutter for a ride to deep left-center.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026

The six 154-foot fast-response cutters are part of the Coast Guard’s reimagined “expeditionary cutter squadron,” which can be sent anywhere in the world.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

These are almost certainly cutter suction dredgers, of which China has the world's largest fleet: some of them can scoop up 6,000 cubic metres an hour, enough to fill two Olympic-sized swimming pools.

From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026

Lagurie is a good cutter, I give him that.

From "Taste of Salt: A Story of Modern Haiti" by Frances Temple

Now, someone passed him wire cutters, and he sliced it off for his lawyer to hold up victoriously.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

Another grower near Mid-Illovo, a region of rolling hills south of Durban, said most cane cutters in his area came from Lesotho, the tiny kingdom encircled by South Africa.

From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026

The six 154-foot fast-response cutters are part of the Coast Guard’s reimagined “expeditionary cutter squadron,” which can be sent anywhere in the world.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

The Coast Guard spokesperson said the command and logistics for the cutters are handled out of Singapore and that the vessels are rotating through Subic Bay.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

Haukelid and Arne Kjelstrup ran ahead with heavy wire cutters, cut through the chain, and swung the gate open.

From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin

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