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 lower, reduce, diminish, or curtail (sometimes fol. 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 fol. by out )

Cut the kidding. Let's cut out the pretense.

to stop; halt the running of, as a liquid or an engine (often fol. 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).

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.

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 pass, go, or come, esp. in the most direct way (usually fol. 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.

Cards . to cut the cards.

Informal . to leave hastily

to cut for the hills.

(of a horse) to interfere.

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.

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, esp. 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, esp. 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. ?

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.

a cut above, somewhat superior to another (thing, person

etc.) in some respect

Her work is a cut above anyone else's.

cut a caper or figure, to perform a spirited, brief, outlandish dance step

esp. as a result of euphoria.

cut a figure

cut a caper.

to give a certain impression of oneself

He cut a distinguished figure in his tuxedo.

cut and run

Nautical . to cut the anchor cable and set sail, as in an emergency.

to leave as hurriedly as possible; flee.

cut back

to shorten by cutting off the end.

to curtail or discontinue

Steel production has been cut back in recent months.

to return to an earlier episode or event, as in the plot of a novel.

Football . to reverse direction suddenly by moving in the diagonally opposite course.

cut both ways, to have, produce

or result in advantages as well as disadvantages

This decision will inevitably cut both ways.

cut or chop down to size

to reduce the stature or importance of

The novelist had a big ego until the critics cut him down to size.

cut it

Informal .

to achieve or maintain a desired level of performance

The aging football player decided he couldn't cut it any longer and retired.

to be effective or successful; satisfy a need.

cut it out

Informal . to stop doing something

That hurts! Cut it out!

cut no ice. ice ( def. 25 ) .

cut out for

fitted for; capable of

He wasn't cut out for military service.

verb

spend , squander , waste

verb

abbreviate , abridge , check , clip , curb , curtail , cut , cut down , decrease , lessen , lower , mark down , mark off , pare , prune , reduce , retrench , shave , shorten , slash , trim