cord-cutter

noun

cord-cut·​ter ˈkȯrd-ˌkə-tər 

variants or less commonly cord cutter

plural cord-cutters also cord cutters

: someone who chooses to stop subscribing to cable television or to a landline telephone service

And now cord-cutters can watch Olympics coverage on the website and app, too …

—Noel Murray

It … is a little pricey for catching one game but might be worth it if you're a cord cutter that regularly wants access to live programming.

—Emily Price

Landline telephone cord-cutters are embracing mobile Internet as well …

—TendersInfo

Examples of cord-cutter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

One recent report found that 74 percent of U.S. cord-cutters canceled a streaming subscription in the past year, often because of rising prices or cheaper alternatives. —Kolawole Samuel Adebayo, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026

Since the game will be broadcast on both ESPN and ABC, cord-cutters have multiple Sling TV plan options available. —Erin Lassner, HollywoodReporter, 18 Jan. 2026

The good news for cord-cutters? —Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 1 Jan. 2026

The target audience includes cable cord-cutters and people who consume news primarily on their phones. —Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1998, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cord-cutter

• stonecutter
• woodcutter
• butter
• clutter
• cutter
• flutter
• gutter
• mutter
• nutter
• putter
• rutter
• shutter