cut down

verb

cut down; cutting down; cuts down

transitive verb

1

a

: to strike down and kill or incapacitate

b

: knock down

2

a

: to remodel by removing extras or unwanted furnishings and fittings

b

: to remake in a smaller size

intransitive verb

: to reduce or curtail volume or activity

cut down on smoking

see also:

cut down to size

Examples of cut down in a Sentence

we need to cut down that dying tree

Recent Examples on the Web

These functions both protect users from pathogens and cut down on the labor involved in routinely cleaning the toilet. —Ethan Stone, USA Today, 15 Mar. 2026

That’s what stands between the Pioneers cutting down the nets and advancing to the Elite Eight. —Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2026

The Red Storm’s 19-point lead over scrappy Seton Hall had been cut down to six with less than five minutes to play, and a sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden kept growing louder. —Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 14 Mar. 2026

Once the planting was done, out came the hoe to cut down the weeds. —Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 14 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Rhymes for cut down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown

Kids Definition

cut down

verb

1

: to knock down and kill or wound

2

: to make over in a smaller size

3

: to reduce something in amount

cut down on energy use

Medical Definition

cutdown

noun

cut·​down ˈkət-ˌdau̇n 

: incision of a superficial blood vessel (as a vein) to facilitate insertion of a catheter (as for administration of fluids)