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cut·back | \ ˈkət-ˌbak 
\
\Definition of cutback
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : something cut back
2 : reduction a cutback in funding
cut back
verbcut back; cutting back; cuts back
Definition of cut back (Entry 2 of 2)
: to shorten by cutting : prune
1 : to interrupt the sequence of a plot (as of a movie) by introducing events prior to those last presented
2 : cut down cut back on sugar
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Examples of cutback in a Sentence
Verb
we need to cut back the bushes a bit so that the house number is visible from the street cut back the meeting so everyone could leave early for the long weekend
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Despite the cutbacks — and the decline in customer service in the post-merger years — plenty of Clevelanders have stuck with the carrier through the rough patches.
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Susan Glaser, cleveland, "United’s turnaround: Airline holds planes, adds carry-on space to improve customer satisfaction; is it enough?," 29 Oct. 2019 The programming cutback will not affect Park Square’s education program.
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Kathy Berdan, Twin Cities, "Financial troubles cause Park Square to cancel two musicals in its season," 29 Oct. 2019 The cutback represents 6% of Norbord’s North American capacity.
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USA TODAY, "Guitar hotel, creepy dolls, slime museum: News from around our 50 states," 25 Oct. 2019 The cutbacks at Lordstown, a community of 3,000 people about halfway between Cleveland and Pittsburgh, are part of a larger shift at GM toward making trucks and electric and self-driving vehicles.
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San Diego Union-Tribune, "Hope of coming back to shuttered GM plant fades for workers," 27 Sep. 2019 The cutback in distance to five furlongs looks ideal and the 8-1 morning line value is too good to ignore.
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John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, "Racing! Los Al gets five weeks in 2020," 20 Sep. 2019 The cutbacks in Iranian contributions further coincide with a sharp downturn in the Lebanese economy.
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Suzan Haidamous, The Seattle Times, "Trump’s sanctions on Iran are hitting Hezbollah hard," 18 May 2019 That has led to cutbacks of critical staff members, including nurses and librarians.
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Washington Post, "Teachers in Chicago inch closer to possible strike," 15 Sep. 2019 With relentless cutbacks in benefits in recent years, many standard health insurance programs will no longer cover medical bills in foreign countries.
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Ed Perkins, USA TODAY, "How does travel medical insurance differ from travel insurance and do you need it?," 11 July 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Businesses have been cutting back on investment and output, with corporate leaders bracing for an economic slowdown.
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Kevin Kelleher, Fortune, "Consumers Are Bullish. CEOs Remain Bearish. Could That Tension Sink the Economy?," 18 Nov. 2019 In fact, cutting back on Facebook could boost students’ grades, according to some recent research from the University of Technology Sydney.
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Kevin Wheeler, USA TODAY, "Want to boost your grades? Get off Facebook, researchers say," 12 Nov. 2019 Brahms’ presence on the line also helped Auburn cut back on penalties, which was huge for the team after pre-snap infractions and other flags plagued the offense in Death Valley last week.
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Tom Green | Tgreen@al.com, al, "Nick Brahms ‘solid’ in 1st start of season at center," 3 Nov. 2019 For consumers, cutting back on food waste is one of the few personal habits that can help the planet.
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David Segal, New York Times, "The World Wastes Tons of Food. A Grocery ‘Happy Hour’ Is One Answer.," 8 Sep. 2019 Experts also say cutting back on methane would do much to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius because the gas doesn't persist as long as carbon dioxide.
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Irina Ivanova, CBS News, "Who are the biggest U.S. methane emitters?," 30 Aug. 2019 That may mean cutting back on big predator fish like tuna and eating more smaller fish, Fry said.
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Linda Carroll, NBC News, "Climate change and overfishing could lead to higher mercury levels in fish," 7 Aug. 2019 For those of you who enjoy a cup or two (or three or four) a day, this little hack could definitely help cut back your coffee waste.
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Elizabeth Gulino, House Beautiful, "Gardening Experts Says You Should Actually Be Watering Your Plants With Coffee," 23 July 2019 Numerous diet fads over the past two decades—from South Beach to the Keto diet—espoused cutting back on carbohydrates.
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Anne Marie Chaker, WSJ, "Family Dinner Is Now a Battle Over Carbohydrates," 10 July 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cutback.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for cutback
cutback
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of cutback
: the act of reducing the number or amount of something
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Time Traveler for cutback
The first known use of cutback was in 1871
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