cut down

verb

cut down; cutting down; cuts down

transitive verb

1

a

: to strike down and kill or incapacitate

b

: knock down

2

a

: to remodel by removing extras or unwanted furnishings and fittings

b

: to remake in a smaller size

intransitive verb

: to reduce or curtail volume or activity

cut down on smoking

see also:

cut down to size

Examples of cut down in a Sentence

we need to cut down that dying tree

Recent Examples on the Web

The government cut down swaths of jungle and drove support columns down into the caves to build the tourist train. —Arkansas Online, 1 Mar. 2026

This sheet cake version cuts down lots of prep time, by simplifying the assembly. —Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2026

He was arrested in January for signing a public letter that blamed the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, for the murders of thousands of protesters, who were cut down by security forces after taking to the streets. —Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026

Friends of Wendy and Gary Spohr filed one after another before Judge Garen Horst to describe a loving couple who thrived on adventure and travel, whether skiing their beloved Sierra or diving in the waters of the South Pacific, but whose lives were cut down out of Serafini’s greed. —Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 28 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Rhymes for cut down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown

Kids Definition

cut down

verb

1

: to knock down and kill or wound

2

: to make over in a smaller size

3

: to reduce something in amount

cut down on energy use

Medical Definition

cutdown

noun

cut·​down ˈkət-ˌdau̇n 

: incision of a superficial blood vessel (as a vein) to facilitate insertion of a catheter (as for administration of fluids)