1
: the act or action of cutting off
2
a
: the new and relatively short channel formed when a stream cuts through the neck of an oxbow
b
c
: a channel made to straighten a stream
3
: a device for cutting off
4
a
: something cut off
b
cutoffs plural
: shorts originally made from jeans with the legs cut off at the knees or higher
5
: the point, date, or period for a cutoff
cutoff
adjective
cut off; cutting off; cuts off
1
: to bring to an untimely end
Each one of those names reflects a life that was prematurely cut off …—
John Kerry
John Kerry2
: to stop the passage of
cut off communications
4
: discontinue, terminate
cut off a subscription
6
a
: disinherit
threatened to cut him off without a penny
b
: to refuse to serve (someone) more alcohol
The bartender cut them off.
7
a
: to stop the operation of : turn off
cut off the engine
b
: to stop or interrupt while in communication
the operator cut me off
: to cease operating
Synonyms
Examples of cutoff in a Sentence
Noun
a cutoff of the water supply
The cutoff for new applications is next Wednesday.
Verb
the majority party cut off debate and forced a vote on the bill
the dog cut off the one sheep that had to be sheared
Recent Examples on the WebKaren Deyoung, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
Videos from inside the UC Theatre show Rittenhouse being questioned before he's ushered off stage without a word to signal to the audience that a hard cutoff time had been hit.
—The Courier-Journal, 22 Mar. 2024
His face framed by his familiar Bunyan-esque beard, Mr. Kelce wore a cutoff T-shirt, sandals and a gold Rolex.
—Scott Cacciola, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024
These often jump right up into the 30 percent or 40 percent concentration range, but all are above the EDP cutoff of 20 percent.
—Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2024
Election letters cutoff Wednesday is the last day to submit letters pertaining to the March 5 election.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024
The cutoff date for early admission at Harvard was November 1, preceding Gay’s testimony before Congress on antisemitism and plagiarism scandal.
—Matt Egan, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
While the family's typical cutoff for participation in the egg hunt is 16 years old, Koeckenberg fudges that a bit, giving gift cards to the older teenagers.
—Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2024
Advocates for continuing aid have argued that the cutoff is unconscionable at a time when famine in Gaza is imminent.
—Margaret Brennan, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2024
Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2024
In the layoff notice, employees were told that Monday was their last working day and that their access to Tesla’s systems and locations was being cut off immediately.
—Trisha Thadani, Washington Post, 15 Apr. 2024
Clean the radicchio by cutting off the bottom and separating the leaves into a container partly filled with ice-cold water.
—Gisela Williams, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024
Because higher-order modes lose more light, they can be selectively cut off.
—Susumu Noda, IEEE Spectrum, 14 Apr. 2024
For warmer days, there’s also a shorter style — there’s not many sizes left in brown — that cuts off at the calf for even more breathability.
—Alyssa Grabinski, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
In Hindu mythology, a serpent god, Rahu Ketu, wanted to eat the sun — but then his head was cut off.
—Bill Chappell, NPR, 8 Apr. 2024
Management: Plant resistant cultivars, cut off and remove diseased foliage and buds from garden.
—Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024
Officials said that most of those trapped were at a hotel and activity center in eastern Taiwan’s Taroko National Park, which was cut off by road damage, and that they had been confirmed to be safe.
—Jennifer Jett, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024
Noun
As if to underline the inconsistency of the administration’s messaging — and as more Democrats demand a cutoff of U.S. aid — the State Department has since authorized thousands more bombs to be sent to Israel.
—Karen Deyoung, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
Videos from inside the UC Theatre show Rittenhouse being questioned before he's ushered off stage without a word to signal to the audience that a hard cutoff time had been hit.
—The Courier-Journal, 22 Mar. 2024
His face framed by his familiar Bunyan-esque beard, Mr. Kelce wore a cutoff T-shirt, sandals and a gold Rolex.
—Scott Cacciola, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024
These often jump right up into the 30 percent or 40 percent concentration range, but all are above the EDP cutoff of 20 percent.
—Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2024
Election letters cutoff Wednesday is the last day to submit letters pertaining to the March 5 election.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024
The cutoff date for early admission at Harvard was November 1, preceding Gay’s testimony before Congress on antisemitism and plagiarism scandal.
—Matt Egan, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
While the family's typical cutoff for participation in the egg hunt is 16 years old, Koeckenberg fudges that a bit, giving gift cards to the older teenagers.
—Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2024
Advocates for continuing aid have argued that the cutoff is unconscionable at a time when famine in Gaza is imminent.
—Margaret Brennan, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2024
Verb
Video Player 00:00 00:00 Kevin Huerter tagged Payton in the short roll, and Sacramento’s trap cut off Curry’s passing lane to Klay Thompson on the far wing.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2024
In the layoff notice, employees were told that Monday was their last working day and that their access to Tesla’s systems and locations was being cut off immediately.
—Trisha Thadani, Washington Post, 15 Apr. 2024
Clean the radicchio by cutting off the bottom and separating the leaves into a container partly filled with ice-cold water.
—Gisela Williams, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024
Because higher-order modes lose more light, they can be selectively cut off.
—Susumu Noda, IEEE Spectrum, 14 Apr. 2024
For warmer days, there’s also a shorter style — there’s not many sizes left in brown — that cuts off at the calf for even more breathability.
—Alyssa Grabinski, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
In Hindu mythology, a serpent god, Rahu Ketu, wanted to eat the sun — but then his head was cut off.
—Bill Chappell, NPR, 8 Apr. 2024
Management: Plant resistant cultivars, cut off and remove diseased foliage and buds from garden.
—Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024
Officials said that most of those trapped were at a hotel and activity center in eastern Taiwan’s Taroko National Park, which was cut off by road damage, and that they had been confirmed to be safe.
—Jennifer Jett, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cutoff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near cutoff
Cite this Entry
“Cutoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cutoff. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cutoff
1 of 2 noun
cut·off
ˈkət-ˌȯf 
1
a
: the action of cutting off
b
: the point or date that cutting off occurs
2
: a device for cutting off
3
plural
: shorts made from jeans with the legs cut off short
cutoff
adjective
cut off
2 of 2 verbˌkət-ˈȯf
1
: to stop the flow or movement of
cut off a supply
2
: isolate
cut off from the world
3
: discontinue sense 2
they cut off relations with us
4
: to stop from talking
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share