1
: the act or action of cutting off
2
a
: the new and relatively short channel formed when a stream cuts through the neck of an oxbow
b
c
: a channel made to straighten a stream
3
: a device for cutting off
4
a
: something cut off
b
cutoffs plural
: shorts originally made from jeans with the legs cut off at the knees or higher
5
: the point, date, or period for a cutoff
cutoff
adjective
cut off; cutting off; cuts off
1
: to bring to an untimely end
Each one of those names reflects a life that was prematurely cut off …—
John Kerry
John Kerry2
: to stop the passage of
cut off communications
4
: discontinue, terminate
cut off a subscription
6
a
: disinherit
threatened to cut him off without a penny
b
: to refuse to serve (someone) more alcohol
The bartender cut them off.
7
a
: to stop the operation of : turn off
cut off the engine
b
: to stop or interrupt while in communication
the operator cut me off
: to cease operating
Synonyms
Examples of cutoff in a Sentence
Noun
a cutoff of the water supply
The cutoff for new applications is next Wednesday.
Verb
the majority party cut off debate and forced a vote on the bill
the dog cut off the one sheep that had to be sheared
Recent Examples on the WebThe Arizona Republic, 21 Apr. 2024
Most Wendy's restaurants serve breakfast until 10:30 a.m. Check your local Wendy's to see the exact cutoff time.
—The Enquirer, 17 Apr. 2024
The typical home in Delaware’s Dewey Beach fell below the million-dollar cutoff.
—Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
While on the go, she was also seen wearing a purple fur coat, with an Alaïa suit, cutoff leather gloves, and a plaid beret.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024
As if to underline the inconsistency of the administration’s messaging — and as more Democrats demand a cutoff of U.S. aid — the State Department has since authorized thousands more bombs to be sent to Israel.
—Karen Deyoung, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
Videos from inside the UC Theatre show Rittenhouse being questioned before he's ushered off stage without a word to signal to the audience that a hard cutoff time had been hit.
—The Courier-Journal, 22 Mar. 2024
His face framed by his familiar Bunyan-esque beard, Mr. Kelce wore a cutoff T-shirt, sandals and a gold Rolex.
—Scott Cacciola, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024
These often jump right up into the 30 percent or 40 percent concentration range, but all are above the EDP cutoff of 20 percent.
—Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2024
Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2024
Israel cut off food, fuel and medicine to Gaza early in the war.
—James Doubek, NPR, 28 Apr. 2024
The judge in control of Donald J. Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial had just cut off the former president’s lawyer, Todd Blanche.
—Jonah E. Bromwich, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2024
Roadways and railroads were cut off from the area, Hawthorne said, and the pier was used to deliver emergency supplies by boat.
—Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2024
Papago Freeway, a section of I-10, sliced through the neighborhood, demolishing 106 homes and cutting off 250 from Garfield, according to Phoenix’s Garfield Neighborhood Plan.
—Morgan Fischer, The Arizona Republic, 22 Apr. 2024
However, there are instances where cutting off communication without any explanation might be necessary, mainly when your safety is at risk.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 22 Apr. 2024
Because the desert floor below is too hot, the lizards were essentially marooned at higher elevations, as if on an island, and cut off from other Yarrow's populations in southern Arizona and northern Mexico.
—David Schechter, CBS News, 19 Apr. 2024
Monday is typically an off night in the theater world, and this one represented the calm before a particularly chaotic storm: there will be twelve Broadway openings between April 17 and 25, when Tony eligibility is cut off.
—Juan A. Ramírez, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2024
Noun
According to the Arizona Lottery's website, the cutoff time for purchasing Powerball tickets is 6:59 p.m.
—The Arizona Republic, 21 Apr. 2024
Most Wendy's restaurants serve breakfast until 10:30 a.m. Check your local Wendy's to see the exact cutoff time.
—The Enquirer, 17 Apr. 2024
The typical home in Delaware’s Dewey Beach fell below the million-dollar cutoff.
—Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
While on the go, she was also seen wearing a purple fur coat, with an Alaïa suit, cutoff leather gloves, and a plaid beret.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024
As if to underline the inconsistency of the administration’s messaging — and as more Democrats demand a cutoff of U.S. aid — the State Department has since authorized thousands more bombs to be sent to Israel.
—Karen Deyoung, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
Videos from inside the UC Theatre show Rittenhouse being questioned before he's ushered off stage without a word to signal to the audience that a hard cutoff time had been hit.
—The Courier-Journal, 22 Mar. 2024
His face framed by his familiar Bunyan-esque beard, Mr. Kelce wore a cutoff T-shirt, sandals and a gold Rolex.
—Scott Cacciola, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024
These often jump right up into the 30 percent or 40 percent concentration range, but all are above the EDP cutoff of 20 percent.
—Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2024
Verb
His brother was said to have paid him an annual visit, but Harold otherwise seemed to have been cut off.
—Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2024
Israel cut off food, fuel and medicine to Gaza early in the war.
—James Doubek, NPR, 28 Apr. 2024
The judge in control of Donald J. Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial had just cut off the former president’s lawyer, Todd Blanche.
—Jonah E. Bromwich, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2024
Roadways and railroads were cut off from the area, Hawthorne said, and the pier was used to deliver emergency supplies by boat.
—Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2024
Papago Freeway, a section of I-10, sliced through the neighborhood, demolishing 106 homes and cutting off 250 from Garfield, according to Phoenix’s Garfield Neighborhood Plan.
—Morgan Fischer, The Arizona Republic, 22 Apr. 2024
However, there are instances where cutting off communication without any explanation might be necessary, mainly when your safety is at risk.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 22 Apr. 2024
Because the desert floor below is too hot, the lizards were essentially marooned at higher elevations, as if on an island, and cut off from other Yarrow's populations in southern Arizona and northern Mexico.
—David Schechter, CBS News, 19 Apr. 2024
Monday is typically an off night in the theater world, and this one represented the calm before a particularly chaotic storm: there will be twelve Broadway openings between April 17 and 25, when Tony eligibility is cut off.
—Juan A. Ramírez, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cutoff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near cutoff
Cite this Entry
“Cutoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cutoff. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cutoff
1 of 2 noun
cut·off
ˈkət-ˌȯf 
1
a
: the action of cutting off
b
: the point or date that cutting off occurs
2
: a device for cutting off
3
plural
: shorts made from jeans with the legs cut off short
cutoff
adjective
cut off
2 of 2 verbˌkət-ˈȯf
1
: to stop the flow or movement of
cut off a supply
2
: isolate
cut off from the world
3
: discontinue sense 2
they cut off relations with us
4
: to stop from talking
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