cord-cutting

noun

cord-cut·​ting ˈkȯrd-ˌkə-tiŋ 

variants or less commonly cord cutting

: the act or process of canceling a subscription to cable television or to a landline telephone service

As cable news begins to feel the squeeze from cord-cutting, arch-rivals Fox News and CNN are stepping up efforts to adapt to the trend that poses a long-term threat to their businesses.

—Stephen Battaglio

Although broadband rates don't appear to be rising substantially as a whole, there's a chance that cord cutting could someday lead providers to increase monthly Internet bills to mitigate the loss of cable customers, according to a MoffettNathanson report.

—Makeda Easter

The majority of Americans … now rely solely on wireless telephones. That watershed cord-cutting moment was reached in the last half of 2016, according to the federal government.

—Jan Cottingham

Examples of cord-cutting in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These days, however, cord-cutting has turned much of cable into dead networks walking. —David Bloom, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025

Also unclear is the fate of the company’s linear cable networks, which are still throwing off cash but declining markedly in terms of ratings and advertising due to ongoing cord-cutting. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 25 July 2025

But even established traditional cable channels are struggling amid cord-cutting and the rise of streaming. —Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 8 July 2025

At a moment of cord-cutting and disruption in the traditional TV business, can an upstart cable news channel find a path to growth? —Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1999, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cord-cutting

• abutting
• crosscutting
• rebutting
• butting
• cutting
• gutting
• jutting
• meting
• putting
• rutting
• shutting
• smiting