To save this word, you'll need to log in.
cut; cutting
Definition of cut
(Entry 1 of 3)
1a : to penetrate with or as if with an edged instrument
cut one's hand with a knife
b : to hurt the feelings of
Her sarcasm cut him to the quick.
c : to strike sharply with a cutting effect
cut him across the legs with a whip
d : to strike (a ball) with a glancing blow that imparts a reverse spin
cut a tennis ball with an inclined racket
e : to experience the growth of (a tooth) through the gum
The toddler is cutting a tooth.
f : to harm (oneself) by making cuts or scratches on one's body
The reasons given for self-inflicted violence indicate that it is a way of relieving intolerable feelings. When cutting themselves, women (and sometimes men) report that they do not feel any pain.— Deborah Feller
b : to shorten by omissions
cut the manuscript
c : dilute, adulterate cut the whiskey with water
d : to reduce in amount
cut costs
e : to remove (something, such as text or a picture) from a computer document and place it on the clipboard so that it can be pasted into another position, document, or program
c(1) : to separate or discharge from an organization
cut them from the team
(2) : to single out and isolate
cut a calf out from the herd
d : to turn sharply
The driver cut the steering wheel hard.
e : to go or pass around or about : bypass cut the checkout line
4a : to divide into segments
cut the cake
d(1) : to divide (a deck of cards) into two portions
(2) : to draw (a card) from the deck
e : to divide into shares : split
f : analyze, break down Any way you cut it, we won.
b(1) : to sing, play, or act for the recording of
cut an album cut a commercial
(2) : to sing or play (a song, a track, etc.) for a studio recording
c : to type on a stencil
d : edit sense 1b cut a motion picture
b : to refuse to recognize (an acquaintance)
They cut her dead at the party.
c : to absent oneself from (something, such as a class)
d : to stop (a motor) by opening a switch
e : to stop the filming of (a motion-picture scene)
7a : to engage in (a frolicsome or mischievous action)
… on summer nights strange capers are cut under the thin guise of a Christian festival.— Donald Culross Peattie
b : to give the appearance or impression of
cut a fine figure
8 : to be able to manage or handle
—usually used in negative constructionscan't cut that kind of work anymore
9a : to yield or accord to another : give cut me some slack
b : to fill out and sign (a check)
1a : to function as or as if as an edged tool
This knife cuts well.
b : to undergo incision or severance
The cheese cuts easily.
c : to perform the operation of dividing, severing, incising, or intersecting
The tailor is busy cutting.
d : to make a stroke with a whip, sword, or other weapon
e : to wound feelings or sensibilities
remarks that cut
f : to cause constriction or chafing
a coat that cuts at the armpits
g : to be of effect, influence, or significance
an analysis that cuts deep
2a(1) : to divide a pack of cards especially in order to decide the deal or settle a bet
(2) : to draw a card from the pack
b : to divide spoils : split
3a : to proceed obliquely (see oblique entry 1 sense 1) from a straight course
cut across the yard
b : to move swiftly
a yacht cutting through the water
c : to describe an oblique or diagonal line
d : to change sharply in direction : swerve The driver cut across three lanes of traffic.
e : to make an abrupt transition from one sound or image to another in motion pictures, radio, or television
The film cuts from the ballroom to the garden.
f : to make a sudden transition or imaginative leap
The story cuts to 1917.
4 : to stop photographing motion pictures
The director yelled "Cut!"
5 : to advance by skipping or bypassing another
cut to the front of the line
6 : to engage in self-harm by making cuts or scratches on one's body
middle school students reporting they knew of several classmates who cut
cut a deal cut both ways cut corners cut ice cut it cut loose cut one's teeth cut the mustard cut to the chase
: to negotiate an agreement
The band cut a deal with the recording company.
: to have both favorable and unfavorable results or implications
: to perform some action in the quickest, easiest, or cheapest way
: to be of importance
—usually used in negative constructionsHis opinion cuts no ice with me.
: to cut the mustard
1 : to free from control or restraint
cut us loose from the contract
2 : to act without restraint
enjoyed cutting loose at nightclubs
: to learn, do, or perform as a beginning or at the start of one's career
an actress who cut her teeth on television
: to achieve the standard of performance necessary for success
She tried to join the soccer team, but she couldn't cut the mustard.
: to get to the point
She urged him to skip the details and cut to the chase.
cut
nounDefinition of cut (Entry 2 of 3)
1 : a product of cutting: such as
a(1) : an opening made with an edged instrument
(2) : a wound made by something sharp : gash
b : a creek, channel, or inlet made by excavation or worn by natural action
c : a surface or outline left by cutting
d : a passage cut as a roadway
e : a grade or step especially in a social scale
a cut above the ordinary
f : a subset of a set such that when it is subtracted from the set the remainder is not connected
g : a pictorial illustration
2 : the act or an instance of cutting: such as
a : a gesture or expression that hurts the feelings
made an unkind cut
b : a straight passage or course
c : a stroke or blow with the edge of a knife or other edged tool
d : a lash with or as if with a whip
e : the act of reducing or removing a part
a cut in pay
f : an act or turn of cutting cards also : the result of cutting
g : the elimination of part of a large field from further participation, consideration, or competition (as in a golf tournament)
—often used with miss or make to denote respectively being or not being among those eliminatedplayed well and made the cut
3 : something that is cut or cut off: such as
a : a length of cloth varying from 40 to 100 yards (36.6 to 91.4 meters)
b : the yield of products cut especially during one harvest
c : a segment or section of a meat carcass or a part of one
d : a group of animals selected from a herd
e : share took his cut of the profits
4 : a voluntary absence from a class
5a : a stroke that cuts a ball also : the spin imparted by such a stroke
b : a swing by a batter at a pitched baseball
c : an exchange of captures in checkers
6 : a result of editing: such as
a : an abrupt transition from one sound or image to another in motion pictures, radio, or television
b : an edited version of a film
cut of one's jib
: appearance, style
cut
adjectiveDefinition of cut (Entry 3 of 3)
: marked by a well-developed and highly defined musculature
cut abs
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Test Your Vocabulary
Great Scrabble Words—A Quiz
- Which of the following Q-without-U words means the number five in cards or dice?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
Great Scrabble Words—A Quiz
Words to improve your Scrabble game
Take the quizSemantic Drift Quiz
A challenging quiz of changing words.
Take the quizSpell It
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
Take the quizAdd Diction
Build a chain of words by adding one letter at a time.
Play the game
Share cut
Time Traveler for cut
The first known use of cut was in the 13th century
See more words from the same century