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

Phrases

cut down to size

: to reduce from an inflated or exaggerated importance to true or suitable stature

Examples of cut down in a Sentence

we need to cut down that dying tree

Recent Examples on the Web

This can seriously cut down the chances of data breaches, especially since the institution isn’t holding onto all that sensitive personal info in one place. —Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025

The multi-coated glass cuts down on chromatic aberrations (distortion or color fringing sometimes seen around objects in bright sunlight). —Scott Gilbertson, Wired News, 25 June 2025

Six-plus hours in a salon chair and a couple hundred dollars are the up-front costs for a trendy protective style that will last weeks and cut down your hair routine. —Annie Blay-Tettey, Allure, 24 June 2025

Among the changes, individual plans will cut down the number of claims subject to prior authorization by next year, while the insurers will set a common standard for submitting electronic authorization requests by 2027. —Jacob Pramuk, CNBC, 23 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1571, 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)