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

Gifting each player and team with supplies already cuts down costs for parents such as Kansas City, Kansas, parent Daniel Hernandez. — Pj Green july 11, Kansas City Star, 12 July 2026

Automation cuts down the downtime between the mixing, extrusion, and spinning phases. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 July 2026

The other major reason oil prices didn’t rise as high as feared is because China built up its storage stockpiles to all-time highs and dramatically cut down on its imports after the war began. — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 9 July 2026

If one of the tours cuts down on the number of mandatory events, or one of the Grand Slams ratchets up its payouts, the others might feel compelled to follow suit. — Josh Levin, The Atlantic, 9 July 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)