cutter

noun

cut·​ter ˈkə-tər 

plural cutters

1

: one that cuts:

a

: one whose work is cutting or involves cutting

wood/glass cutters

b(1)

: an instrument, machine, machine part, or tool that cuts

(2)

: a device for vibrating a cutting stylus in disc recording

also : the stylus or its point

2

a

: a ship's boat for carrying stores or passengers

b

: a single-masted fore-and-aft rigged sailing vessel

c

: a small armed vessel in government service

3

baseball : cut fastball

His previous three home runs had come on a fastball, a cutter and a slider.

—Billy Witz

4

: a light sleigh

5

: a person who cuts their own skin purposely (see cut entry 1 sense 1f) : a person who engages in cutting

The cast includes Jill, a middle-class runaway in love with the romance of risk; Maura, a "cutter" who engages in self-mutilation to thwart her over-controlling father …

—Cecelia Goodnow

Synonyms of cutter

• knife

Examples of cutter in a Sentence

a fabric cutter

Recent Examples on the Web

Last November, the service launched a VTOL drone produced by ShieldAI called the MQ-35 V-BAT from a cutter to intercept illicit narcotics at sea, with three interdictions made in one night. —Zita Ballinger Fletcher, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026

Sleet cutters will also be put in to make sure the power connection to overhead lines is not lost. —Chilekasi Adele, CBS News, 25 Jan. 2026

The agency is planning to deploy ice scrapers or cutters along the light rail wires to prevent overhead catenaries, the network of wires that provide electric power to trains, from icing and losing power. —Suryatapa Chakraborty, Dallas Morning News, 23 Jan. 2026

Create banners, bumper stickers, pictures, decals and window clings with the library's vinyl printer and cutter. —Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 21 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing cutter

• box cutter
• cookie cutter
• cord cutter
• leaf-cutter
• milling cutter
• paper cutter
• price-cutter
• revenue cutter

Rhymes for cutter

• butter
• clutter
• flutter
• gutter
• mutter
• nutter
• putter
• rutter
• shutter
• sputter
• stutter
• utter

Kids Definition

cutter

noun

cut·​ter ˈkət-ər 

1

: one that cuts

a diamond cutter

a cookie cutter

2

a

: a ship's boat for carrying supplies or passengers

b

: a small sailing boat with one mast

c

: a small armed boat in government service

3

: a small sleigh