cutting

[ kuht-ing ]

/ ˈkʌt ɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cutting ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of a person or thing that cuts.

something cut, cut off, or cut out.

Horticulture. a piece, as a root, stem, or leaf, cut from a plant and used for propagation.

something made by cutting, as a recording.

a form of repetitive self-injury in which a person deliberately cuts the skin, as to cope with stress or negative emotions.

Chiefly British. a clipping from a newspaper, magazine, etc.

British. a trenchlike excavation, especially through a hill, as one made in constructing a highway.

adjective

able to cut or slice: a cutting blade.

piercing, as a wind.

wounding the feelings severely; sarcastic.

Nearby words

cutter number, cutter-rigged, cutthroat, cutthroat contract, cutthroat trout, cutting, cutting board, cutting compound, cutting edge, cutting edge, at the, cutting fluid

Origin of cutting

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at cut, -ing¹, -ing²

SYNONYMS FOR cutting

10 caustic, biting, mordant, acid, sardonic.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cutting ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formscut·ting·ly, adverbcut·ting·ness, nounnon·cut·ting, adjective, nounself-cut·ting, adjective

Definition for cutting (2 of 2)

cut

[ kuht ]

/ kʌt /

verb (used with object), cut, cut·ting.

to penetrate with or as if with a sharp-edged instrument or object: He cut his finger.

to divide with or as if with a sharp-edged instrument; sever; carve: to cut a rope.

to detach with or as if with a sharp-edged instrument; separate from the main body; lop off: to cut a slice from a loaf of bread.

to hew or saw down; fell: to cut timber.

to trim by clipping, shearing, paring, or pruning: to cut hair.

to mow; reap; harvest: to cut grain.

to abridge or shorten; edit by omitting a part or parts: to cut a speech.

to repeatedly inflict injury on (oneself) by deliberately cutting the skin, as to cope with stress or negative emotions: Some teenagers cut themselves to stop their emotional pain.

to lower, reduce, diminish, or curtail (sometimes followed by down): to cut prices.

to dilute; make less thick: to cut wine.

to dissolve: That detergent cuts grease effectively.

to intersect; cross: One line cuts another at right angles.

Informal. to cease; discontinue (often followed by out): Cut the kidding. Let's cut out the pretense.

to stop; halt the running of, as a liquid or an engine (often followed by off): The pilot cut the engines and glided in for a landing. Cut off the hot water.

to dilute or adulterate (a drug) by mixing it with other substances.

to grow (a tooth or teeth) through the gum: The baby is cutting his teeth.

to type, write, or draw on (a stencil) for mimeographing.

to make or fashion by cutting, as a statue, jewel, or garment.

Glassmaking. to produce a pattern (in glass) by grinding and polishing.

to refuse to recognize socially; shun ostentatiously: Her friends began to cut her as the season progressed.

to strike sharply, as with a whip.

to absent oneself from: allowed to cut three classes per semester.

Movies, Television.

to stop (a scene or shot being filmed).
to edit (a film).

Computers. to remove (selected text, images, etc.) from a file to store in temporary memory until pasted elsewhere.Compare copy(def 15), paste(def 13).

to wound the feelings of severely.

Cards.

to divide (a pack of cards) at random into two or more parts, by removing cards from the top.
to take (a card) from a deck.

to record a selection on (a phonograph record or tape); make a recording of.

to castrate or geld.

Sports. to hit (a ball) with either the hand or some instrument so as to change its course and often to cause it to spin.

to hollow out; excavate; dig: to cut a trench.

Cricket. to strike and send off (a ball) in front of the batsman, and parallel to the wicket.

Slang. to be a nonplaying dealer, manager, or supervisor of (a card game, crap game, or other gambling game) in return for a percentage of the money bet or sometimes for a fee.

verb (used without object), cut, cut·ting.

to penetrate or divide something, as with a sharp-edged instrument; make an incision: The scissors cut well.

to admit of being cut: Butter cuts easily.

to repeatedly inflict self-injury by deliberately cutting the skin.

to pass, go, or come, especially in the most direct way (usually followed by across, through, in, etc.): to cut across an empty lot.

Movies, Television.

to shift suddenly from one shot to another: Cut to the barroom interior.
to stop the action of a scene: used as a command by a director.

to make a sudden or sharp turn in direction; change direction suddenly; swerve: We cut to the left to avoid hitting the child.

to strike a person, animal, etc., sharply, as with a whip.

to wound the feelings severely: His criticism cut deep.

(of the teeth) to grow through the gums.

Computers. to remove selected text, images, etc., from a file for storage in temporary memory until pasted elsewhere.Compare copy(def 17), paste(def 14).

Cards. to cut the cards.

Informal. to leave hastily: to cut for the hills.

(of a horse) to interfere.

adjective

that has been subjected to cutting; divided into pieces by cutting; detached by cutting: cut flowers.

fashioned by cutting; having the surface shaped or ornamented by grinding, polishing, or the like: cut diamonds.

reduced by or as if by cutting: cut whiskey; cut prices.

Botany. incised; cleft.

castrated; gelded.

Slang. drunk.

noun

the act of cutting; a stroke or a blow, as with a knife, whip, etc.

the result of cutting, as an incision, wound, passage, or channel.

a piece cut off: a cut of a pie.

Informal. a share, especially of earnings or profits: His agent's cut is 20 percent.

a haircut, often with a styling.

a reduction in price, salary, etc.

the manner or fashion in which anything is cut: the cut of a dress.

style; manner; kind: We need a man of his cut in this firm.

a passage or course straight across or through: a cut through the woods.

an excision or omission of a part.

a part or quantity of text deleted or omitted.

a quantity cut, especially of lumber.

a refusal to recognize an acquaintance.

an act, speech, etc., that wounds the feelings.

an engraved plate or block of wood used for printing.

a printed picture or illustration.

an absence, as from a school class, at which attendance is required.

Butchering. part of an animal usually cut as one piece.

Cards. a cutting of the cards.

Sports.

the act of cutting a ball.
the spin imparted.

Fencing. a blow with the edge of the blade instead of the tip.

one of several pieces of straw, paper, etc., used in drawing lots.

Movies, Television.

the instantaneous or gradual transition from one shot or scene to another in an edited film.
an edited version of a film.Compare rough cut, final cut.
an act or instance of editing a film.

an individual song, musical piece, or other similar material on a record or tape.

any product of the fractional distillation of petroleum.

Verb Phrases

cut across, to precede or go beyond considerations of; transcend: The new tax program cuts across party lines.

cut down,

Also cut down on. to lessen; decrease: to cut down on between-meal snacks.
to strike and cause to fall: The first force to attempt an advance was swiftly cut down.
to destroy, kill, or disable: The hurricane cut down everything in its path.
to remodel, remake, or reduce in size, as a garment: She had her old coat cut down to fit her daughter.

cut in,

to move or thrust oneself, a vehicle, etc., abruptly between others: A speeding car cut in and nearly caused an accident.
to interpose; interrupt: to cut in with a remark.
Informal. to interrupt a dancing couple in order to dance with one of them.
to blend (shortening) into flour by means of a knife.

cut off,

to intercept.
to interrupt.
to stop suddenly; discontinue.
to halt the operation of; turn off.
to shut off or shut out.
to disinherit.
to sever; separate.

cut out,

to omit; delete; excise.
to oust and replace a rival; supplant.
to part an animal from a herd.
to plan; arrange: He has his work cut out for him.
to move out of one's lane of traffic.
Also cut on out.Slang. to leave suddenly.
Informal. to refrain from; stop: to cut out smoking.
(of an engine, machine, etc.) to stop running.

cut up,

to cut into pieces or sections.
to lacerate; wound.
to distress mentally; injure.
Informal. to play pranks; misbehave: They got scolded for cutting up in church.

Origin of cut

1175–1225; Middle English cutten, kytten, kitten, Old English *cyttan; akin to Old Swedish kotta to cut, Old Norse kuti little knife

SYNONYMS FOR cut

1 gash, slash, slit, lance.

2 cleave, sunder, bisect.

7 abbreviate, curtail.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cut ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

half-cut, adjectivemis·cut, verb, mis·cut, mis·cut·ting.out·cut, verb (used with object), out·cut, out·cut·ting.re·cut, verb, re·cut, re·cut·ting.

well-cut, adjective

Synonym study

2. Cut, chop, hack, hew refer to giving a sharp blow or stroke. Cut is a general word for this: to cut the grass. To chop is to cut by giving repeated blows with something sharp, as an ax. To chop and to hew are practically interchangeable, but hew suggests keeping to a definite purpose: to chop or hew down a tree; to hew out a clearing. To hack is to cut or chop roughly and unevenly: to hack off a limb.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cutting

Not to be left behind, progressives in neighboring Wisconsin clamored to join the cutting edge of public health.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
Instead of just cutting out whole food groups, Bacon says people should pay attention to how food makes them feel.
Why Your New Year’s Diet Will Fail|Carrie Arnold|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Lay the butterflied pork loin on the cutting board with the fat cap facing down.
Make Carla Hall’s Roasted Pork Loin With Cranberries|Carla Hall|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Unfortunately, that means suppressing fire or cutting down all the pretty uninfected trees can cause mistletoe outbreaks.
Mistletoe is the Vampire of Plants|Helen Thompson|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST

This bungalow has two levels, a screening room, a dining room, many offices, an art department, and cutting rooms.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Near at hand is the Dorcas room, where deaconesses are kept busy in cutting out clothing and superintending the sewing classes.
Deaconesses in Europe|Jane M. Bancroft
This makes nine five-pound loaves, cutting twenty-four slices each.
Quantity Cookery|Lenore Richards
On the 14th November, 1913, Mr. Summers died of blood poisoning, the result of cutting a corn with a blunt razor.
De Mortuis Nil Nisi Bona|Ernest Evan Spicer
Then, while cutting an opening through the wall, he asked Mrs. Cunningham how many men there were in the other house.
Chronicles of Border Warfare|Alexander Scott Withers
This great job taxed all the energies of the two men, the one cutting, the other stacking, as they went.
The Copperhead|Harold Frederic

British Dictionary definitions for cutting (1 of 2)

cutting

/ (ˈkʌtɪŋ) /

noun

a piece cut off from the main part of something

horticulture

a method of vegetative propagation in which a part of a plant, such as a stem or leaf, is induced to form its own roots
a part separated for this purpose

Also called (esp US and Canadian): clipping an article, photograph, etc, cut from a newspaper or other publication

the editing process by which a film is cut and made

an excavation in a piece of high land for a road, railway, etc, enabling it to remain at approximately the same level

Irish informal sharp-wittednessthere is no cutting in him

(modifier) designed for or adapted to cutting; edged; sharpa cutting tool

adjective

keen; piercinga cutting wind

tending to hurt the feelingsa cutting remark

Derived Formscuttingly, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for cutting (2 of 2)

cut

/ (kʌt) /

verb cuts, cutting or cut

to open up or incise (a person or thing) with a sharp edge or instrument; gash

(of a sharp instrument) to penetrate or incise (a person or thing)

to divide or be divided with or as if with a sharp instrumentcut a slice of bread

(intr) to use a sharp-edged instrument or an instrument that cuts

(tr) to trim or prune by or as if by clippingto cut hair

(tr) to reap or mow (a crop, grass, etc)

(tr) to geld or castrate

(tr sometimes foll by out) to make, form, or shape by cuttingto cut a suit

(tr) to hollow or dig out; excavateto cut a tunnel through the mountain

to strike (an object) sharply

(tr) sport to hit (a ball) with a downward slicing stroke so as to impart spin or cause it to fall short

cricket to hit (the ball) to the off side, usually between cover and third man, with a roughly horizontal bat

to hurt or wound the feelings of (a person), esp by malicious speech or action

(tr) informal to refuse to recognize; snub

(tr) informal to absent oneself from (an activity, location, etc), esp without permission or in hasteto cut class

(tr) to abridge, shorten, or edit by excising a part or parts

(tr often foll by down) to lower, reduce, or curtailto cut losses

(tr) to dilute or weakenheroin that was cut with nontoxic elements

(tr) to dissolve or break upto cut fat

(when intr, foll by across or through) to cross or traversethe footpath cuts through the field

(intr) to make a sharp or sudden change in direction; veer

to grow (teeth) through the gums or (of teeth) to appear through the gums

(intr) films

to call a halt to a shooting sequence
(foll by to) to move quickly to another scene

films to edit (film)

(tr) to switch off (a light, car engine, etc)

(tr) (of a performer, recording company, etc) to make (a record or tape of a song, concert, performance, etc)

cards

to divide (the pack) at random into two parts after shuffling
(intr) to pick cards from a spread pack to decide dealer, partners, etc

(tr) to remove (material) from an object by means of a chisel, lathe, etc

(tr) (of a tool) to bite into (an object)

(intr) (of a horse) to injure the leg just above the hoof by a blow from the opposite foot

cut a caper or cut capers

to skip or jump playfully
to act or behave playfully; frolic

cut both ways

to have both good and bad effects
to affect both sides of something, as two parties in an argument, etc

cut a dash to behave or dress showily or strikingly; make a stylish impression

cut a person dead informal to ignore a person completely

cut a good figure to appear or behave well

cut a poor figure to appear or behave badly

cut and run informal to make a rapid escape

cut it slang be successful in doing something

cut it fine informal to allow little margin of time, space, etc

cut corners to do something in the easiest or shortest way, esp at the expense of high standardswe could finish this project early only if we cut corners

cut loose to free or become freed from restraint, custody, anchorage, etc

cut no ice informal to fail to make an impression

cut one's losses to give up spending time, money, or energy on an unprofitable or unsuccessful activity

cut one's teeth on informal

to use at an early age or stage
to practise on

adjective

detached, divided, or separated by cutting

botany incised or dividedcut leaves

made, shaped, or fashioned by cutting

reduced or diminished by or as if by cuttingcut prices

gelded or castrated

weakened or diluted

British a slang word for drunk

hurt; resentful

cut and dried informal settled or arranged in advance

cut lunch Australian and NZ a sandwich lunch carried from home to work, school, etc

noun

the act of cutting

a stroke or incision made by cutting; gash

a piece or part cut off, esp a section of food cut from the wholea cut of meat

the edge of anything cut or sliced

a passage, channel, path, etc, cut or hollowed out

an omission or deletion, esp in a text, film, or play

a reduction in price, salary, etc

a decrease in government finance in a particular department or area, usually leading to a reduction of services, staff numbers, etc

short for power cut

mainly US and Canadian a quantity of timber cut during a specific time or operation

informal a portion or share

informal a straw, slip of paper, etc, used in drawing lots

the manner or style in which a thing, esp a garment, is cut; fashion

Irish informal a person's general appearanceI didn't like the cut of him
Irish derogatory a dirty or untidy conditionlook at the cut of your shoes

a direct route; short cut

the US name for block (def. 15)

sport the spin of a cut ball

cricket a stroke made with the bat in a roughly horizontal position

films an immediate transition from one shot to the next, brought about by splicing the two shots together

informal an individual piece of music on a record; track

words or an action that hurt another person's feelings

a refusal to recognize an acquaintance; snub

informal, mainly US an unauthorized absence, esp from a school class

chem a fraction obtained in distillation, as in oil refining

the metal removed in a single pass of a machine tool

the shape of the teeth of a file
their coarseness or fineness

British a stretch of water, esp a canal

a cut above informal superior (to); better (than)

make the cut golf to better or equal the required score after two rounds in a strokeplay tournament, thus avoiding elimination from the final two rounds

miss the cut golf to achieve a greater score after the first two rounds of a strokeplay tournament than that required to play in the remaining two rounds

Word Origin for cut

C13: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Norwegian kutte to cut, Icelandic kuti small knife

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

Word Origin and History for cutting (1 of 2)

cut

1520s, "gash, incision," from cut (v.); meaning "piece cut off" is from 1590s; sense of "a wounding sarcasm" is from 1560s.

Word Origin and History for cutting (1 of 2)

cut

late 13c., possibly Scandinavian, from North Germanic *kut- (cf. Swedish dialectal kuta "to cut," kuta "knife," Old Norse kuti "knife"), or from Old French couteau "knife." Replaced Old English ceorfan (see carve (v.)), sniþan, and scieran (see shear). Meaning "to be absent without excuse" is British university slang from 1794. To cut a pack of cards is from 1590s. Related: Cutting.

Medicine definitions for cutting

cut

[ kŭt ]

v.

To penetrate with a sharp edge; strike a narrow opening in.

To separate into parts with or as if with a sharp-edged instrument; sever.

To make an incision or a separation.

To have a new tooth grow through the gums.

To form or shape by severing or incising.

To separate from a body; detach.

To lessen the strength of; dilute.

n.

The act of cutting.

The result of cutting, especially an opening or wound made by a sharp edge.

Idioms and Phrases with cutting

cut

In addition to the idioms beginning with cut

cut above
cut across
cut a deal
cut adrift
cut a long story short
cut and dried
cut and paste
cut and run
cut a wide swath
cut back
cut both ways
cut capers
cut class
cut corners
cut dead
cut down
cute as a button
cut ice
cut in
cut into
cut it
cut it fine
cut it out
cut loose
cut no ice
cut off
cut off one's nose to spite one's face
cut off with a shilling
cut of one's jib
cut one's losses
cut one's teeth on
cut out
cut out of whole cloth
cut short
cut someone dead
cut someone's throat
cut teeth
cut the comedy
cut the ground from under
cut the mustard
cut to the bone
cut to the chase
cut to the quick
cut up

also see:

(cut) down to size
fish or cut bait
have one's work cut out
like a chicken with its head cut off
make (cut) a long story short
unkindest cut
you could cut it with a knife

cutting

noun

adjective

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of cutting

Definition for cutting (2 of 2)

cut

verb (used with object), cut, cut·ting.

verb (used without object), cut, cut·ting.

adjective

noun

Verb Phrases

Origin of cut

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for cutting

British Dictionary definitions for cutting (1 of 2)

cutting

noun

adjective

British Dictionary definitions for cutting (2 of 2)

cut

verb cuts, cutting or cut

adjective

noun

Word Origin for cut

Word Origin and History for cutting (1 of 2)

cut

Word Origin and History for cutting (1 of 2)

cut

Medicine definitions for cutting

cut

v.

n.

Idioms and Phrases with cutting

cut