cut and fill

noun

Definition of cut and fill

1 : the leveling or gradational process whereby waves, currents, streams, or winds erode material from one place and deposit it near by until the surfaces of erosion and deposition become continuous and uniform in grade especially : the action of a meandering stream in cutting from its concave banks and depositing within its loops

2 : the excavating of material in one place and the depositing of it nearby (as in building a road or canal) wholly obscured by the construction of two later highways, demanding a considerable amount of cut and fill— G. R. Stewart