cut

I UK [kʌt] / US verb
Word forms "cut":
present tense I/you/we/they cut he/she/it cuts present participle cutting past tense cut past participle cut
***

1) [transitive] to use a knife, pair of scissors, or other sharp tool to divide something into two or more pieces

I'm going to cut the cake now.

The telephone wires had been cut.

cut something in half/two:

The apples had been cut in half.

cut something into pieces/quarters/three etc:

Cut the pepper into small pieces.

a) to use a sharp tool to remove a piece from something

I cut a slice of bread.

cut someone something:

Will you cut me a slice of pizza?

cut something from/off something:

You should cut that broken branch from the tree.

cut something in/through something:

Firemen had to cut a hole in the car roof to get him out.

b) to use a sharp tool to make something shorter

You need to cut your toenails.

It's Ken's turn to cut the grass.

have/get your hair cut:

I'm going to have my hair cut tomorrow.

2)

a) [intransitive] to be capable of cutting in a particular way

These scissors don't cut very well.

b) [transitive] to be able to cut a particular substance

a tool that cuts metal easily

3) [transitive] to injure a part of your body with something sharp that cuts the skin

Be careful not to cut your finger.

He cut himself shaving.

Her face was badly cut by flying glass.

4) [transitive] to reduce something such as the amount or level of something

Supermarkets are drastically cutting prices.

We have cut our spending by 33%.

5) [transitive] computing to remove a part of a computer document, especially in order to paste it into another place or document

See:

cut and paste

6) cut or cut off

[transitive] to stop the supply of something, or to stop something working

The accident had cut the oxygen to her brain.

All lines of communication had been cut.

Could you cut the engine for a minute?

7)

a) [transitive] to make something such as a piece of writing, a speech, a film, or a broadcast shorter by removing parts from it

You need to cut your speech by about 10 minutes.

b) cut or cut out to remove parts from something such as a piece of writing, a speech, a film, or a broadcast, especially because they are not suitable

They have cut some sex scenes from the film.

8) [intransitive/transitive] to divide a set of playing cards into two piles

9) [transitive] to divide an area into two or more parts

The River Danube cuts Budapest in two.

10) [transitive] music if a musician or band cuts a record, they record it

11) [transitive] to reduce the strength or effectiveness of something by mixing it with something else

12) cut or cut across

[transitive] to pass through or across something

the place where Kings Road cuts the High Street

•

cut class/school — American

informal to not go to a lesson/school when you should be there

That's the second time you've cut class this week.

cut a fine/ridiculous etc figure — literary to look very attractive/silly etc

Tom cut a striking figure in his dark dinner jacket.

cut no ice/not cut any ice (with someone) — to fail to impress or influence someone

His excuses cut no ice with me.

cut someone to the bone/heart/quick — to say or do something unkind that makes someone feel very upset

His mockery, which he meant as a joke, cut her to the bone.

- cut and run

- cut both ways

- cut your coat according to your cloth

- cut corners

- cut a dash

- cut someone dead

- cut a deal

- cut the ground from under someone's feet

- cut it

- cut it fine

- cut loose

- cut your losses

- cut your own throat

- cut someone short

- cut something short

- cut your teeth on something

- cut to the chase

- cut a tooth

- not cut the mustard

Phrasal verbs:

- cut across

- cut away

- cut back

- cut down

- cut in

- cut into

- cut off

- cut out

- cut over

- cut through

- cut up

See:

crap I, long I

II UK [kʌt] / US noun [countable]
Word forms "cut":
singular cut plural cuts
***

1)

a) an injury on your skin where something sharp has cut it

My son's face was covered in cuts and bruises.

She suffered a deep cut to her scalp.

b) a mark or hole in a surface where something sharp has cut it

Make a series of small cuts in the meat.

2) a reduction in something

job/tax/pay/defence cuts

cut in:

The government threatened a cut in education spending.

3)

a) [usually singular] the act or process of cutting something

I chopped the log with one clean cut.

b) the act of cutting someone's hair

a cut and blow-dry

4)

a) [usually singular] the way in which someone's hair has been cut

We gave Jenny's hair a softer cut.

b) the way in which cloth has been cut that gives it a particular style or shape

the stylish cut of his evening clothes

5)

a) an act of making something such as a piece of writing, a speech, a film, or a broadcast shorter

Some drastic cuts have been made in the third act.

b) an act of removing parts from something such as a piece of writing, a speech, a film, or a broadcast, especially because they are not suitable

6) cinema a way of arranging how a film looks by moving, removing, or adding scenes

the director's cut

7) cinema a quick move from one scene of a film to another

8) a piece of meat that has been cut from a particular part of the animal

a lean cut of beef

See:

cold cuts

9) [usually singular] informal someone's part of a total amount of money

Don't forget your agent takes a 10% cut.

10) [usually singular] a situation in which you pretend not to see or recognize someone you know

11) [usually singular] American a comment or action that hurts someone's feelings

12) music a piece of music that has been recorded

13) mainly American a cutting through something such as rock

•

the cut and thrust (of something) — British the lively or determined way in which something is done

He enjoys the cut and thrust of political life.

- be a cut above

See:

power cut

III UK [kʌt] / US interjection cinema

something that film directors say when they want the actors and people making the film to stop for a short time