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

Though the operation took place at the workshop of the Crown Jeweller, Garrard & Company, British artisans lacked the requisite skill, prompting the Prince to hire master cutters from Amsterdam’s Royal Coster Diamonds. — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 17 Aug. 2026

It’s all meant to defeat the crime rings that are often armed with nothing more than hydraulic bolt cutters, preying on railroads as a reliable source of easy-to-steal merchandise. — Kiel Porter, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2026

Even toddlers can press a plastic knife or a crinkle cutter through a banana. — Michelle Crouch, Parents, 14 Aug. 2026

With the movie aficionados apparently learning their lesson after two quarters, Fair Lawn rallied for a 13-12 win – one of the cutters scored two touchdowns and the extra point. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 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