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

Etymology

Origin of cutter

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cutter cutters

A quarter of the time, Schlittler unleashes his cutter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

The Coast Guard already bases ships in Guam and Hawaii, including what it calls an Indo-Pacific support cutter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

Most 10-Qs are cookie cutter documents disclosing financial figures already embedded in corporate records.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

His brother Manoj Singh, a stone cutter, had been hoping to follow him to sea -- a plan he has since abandoned.

From Barron's ● May 25, 2026

Uncle studied the cork and then worked the point into the cork as if he were a diamond cutter.

From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep

With the movie aficionados apparently learning their lesson after two quarters, Fair Lawn rallied for a 13-12 win – one of the cutters scored two touchdowns and the extra point.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

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 fast-response cutters are approved to operate from Singapore and Subic Bay in the Philippines at least through September.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

I look at the alphabet cookie cutters she uses to make letters.

From "Fish in a Tree" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Related Words

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