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

The company, vulnerable to cord-cutting and a decline in linear TV households, has embarked on an expansion effort pitching itself to Wall Street as a pure-play streaming brand. —Erik Hayden, HollywoodReporter, 20 Mar. 2026

In a development as predictable as the Yankees overpaying for talent, viewers grew increasingly weary of getting gouged like that and responded with a wave of cord-cutting that has now ensured that OPM is no longer a viable option for RSNs. —Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 11 Mar. 2026

What if cord-cutting accelerates? —Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2026

Then a major sports broadcasting company, Main Street Sports Group (formerly Diamond Sports Group), started to fall apart financially amidst cord-cutting. —Evan Drellich, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2026

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