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

Importantly, the deal also covers local rights for five smaller MLB franchises – Cleveland, San Diego, Minnesota, Arizona and Colorado – that have struggled to find adequate home-town video distribution since the collapse of most regional sports networks amid cable cord-cutting. —David Bloom, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025

Such content will be initially unavailable to customers of Comcast Xfinity, YouTube TV, Dish Network, Sling TV and Cox, the company said. Beset by cord-cutting that threatens its mainstay traditional TV business, Disney has grown the audience for its bundle of streaming services. —ABC News, 20 Aug. 2025

All cable network owners are coping with dramatic declines in subscriber levels due to cord-cutting and the rise of streaming, which have seen pay-TV penetration retreat to 1980s levels. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 8 Aug. 2025

While rights fee increased helped offset cord-cutting somewhat, lower viewership was a big driver of the decline, partly due to the absence of the NCAA March Madness Final Four this year. —Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 7 Aug. 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