1
: sharply outlined : distinct
2
: free from ambiguity or uncertainty : unambiguous
a clear-cut decision
: an area of forest in which all the trees have been cut down
But the logging has been concentrated in the high-volume old-growth forest, and clear-cuts are spread over almost every one of the region's watersheds.—
Catherine Caufield
Catherine Caufield
also
: clear-cutting
clear-cut; clear-cutting
: to cut down all the trees in (an area of forest)
He says there has been a massive deforestation as the Chinese have clear-cut millions of acres of Tibetan Forests to sell lumber on the export market …—Daniel Goleman
Daniel Goleman… native rain forest experts who harvest plants for traditional healers, make from two to 10 times per hectare the income of a farmer who clear-cuts the forest for planting crops.—Cathy Sears and Robert Neuwirth
Cathy Sears and Robert NeuwirthExamples of clear-cut in a Sentence
Adjective
a clear-cut case of plagiarism that resulted in her immediate dismissal
clear-cut instructions that even an idiot should be able to follow
Recent Examples on the Web
CBS News, 24 Nov. 2025
He was expected to become the clear-cut No. 1 target for superstar quarterback Josh Allen.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Nov. 2025
The thousand-year-old, two-hundred-foot Douglas Fir stands in the midst of a vast clear-cut on the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island, a towering beanstalk surrounded by acres of cornfield stubble.
—Brad Badelt, Outside, 11 Nov. 2025
But Sweeney doesn’t opt for something so clear-cut.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clear-cut
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Adjective
While there's no clear-cut No. 1 pick in the draft like Bueckers last season, there's a host of draft-eligible players in college, including UCLA's Lauren Betts, UConn's Azzi Fudd, LSU's Flau'jae Johnson and TCU's Olivia Miles.
—CBS News, 24 Nov. 2025
He was expected to become the clear-cut No. 1 target for superstar quarterback Josh Allen.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Nov. 2025
The thousand-year-old, two-hundred-foot Douglas Fir stands in the midst of a vast clear-cut on the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island, a towering beanstalk surrounded by acres of cornfield stubble.
—Brad Badelt, Outside, 11 Nov. 2025
But Sweeney doesn’t opt for something so clear-cut.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clear-cut
Cite this Entry
“Clear-cut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clear-cut. Accessed 5 Dec. 2025.
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