1
: something cut back
2
: reduction
a cutback in funding
cut back; cutting back; cuts back
: to shorten by cutting : prune
1
: to interrupt the sequence of a plot (as of a movie) by introducing events prior to those last presented
2
: cut down
cut back on sugar
Examples of cutback in a Sentence
Verb
we need to cut back the bushes a bit so that the house number is visible from the street
cut back the meeting so everyone could leave early for the long weekend
Recent Examples on the Web
Debra Utacia Krol, AZCentral.com, 10 Jan. 2026
On top of everything, California’s $4 trillion economy is more or less stuck in neutral, with the nation’s highest unemployment rate, no net job growth since the COVID-19 pandemic and severe employment cutbacks in signature sectors, such as film and TV production technology.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Jan. 2026
What’s more, Young and others say that as the federal government cuts back on health spending, getting access for even basic health services – such as having a child in a hospital – might force patients to travel.
—Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cutback
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Noun
Arizona would absorb the largest shortages in some of the plans, while others outline cutbacks based on existing allocations.
—Debra Utacia Krol, AZCentral.com, 10 Jan. 2026
On top of everything, California’s $4 trillion economy is more or less stuck in neutral, with the nation’s highest unemployment rate, no net job growth since the COVID-19 pandemic and severe employment cutbacks in signature sectors, such as film and TV production technology.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
Verb
Woody plants that bloom on old wood should not be cut back in the fall.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Jan. 2026
What’s more, Young and others say that as the federal government cuts back on health spending, getting access for even basic health services – such as having a child in a hospital – might force patients to travel.
—Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cutback
Cite this Entry
“Cutback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cutback. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cutback
1 of 2 noun
cut·back
ˈkət-ˌbak 
: an act or instance of cutting something back
cut back
2 of 2 verbˈkət-ˈbak
1
2
: to reduce something in amount
cut back on smoking
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