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

Some technical award handouts may be pre-taped and winners won’t appear on the live show, only cut down into edited bits sandwiched into the telecast. —Mark Kennedy, Chicago Tribune, 1 June 2025

One is that being more attuned to the body’s needs can cut down on emotional eating. —Maia Niguel Hoskin, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025

SCFAs can also lend a hand to your immune system, cutting down on inflammatory substances in your gut while ramping up the release of anti-inflammatory ones. —Erica Sloan, SELF, 29 May 2025

Many of the staffers were hand-picked by Elon Musk, and given access equivalent to high-ranking government officials in DOGE's bid to cut down on federal spending. —Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 May 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)