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

Costume designer Libby Dempster works with a variety of artisans, including a weaver, the armory department, the jewelry department, pattern cutters, a textiles team and a breakdown team, who make the clothes look worn in. — Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026

The potatoes are cut with a French fry cutter, soaked in water, then dried and pre-fried in peanut oil at 160C (320F). — Hana Asbrink, Bon Appetit Magazine, 4 Nov. 2026

Le Monde recently reported that friction between Cerutti, an avid cost-cutter who sought to slow acquisitions, and Pinault, an avid collector eager to add more works to his private trove, was to blame for the split. — News Desk, Artforum, 4 Nov. 2026

But actually, Peacock was also finding new audiences, like cord cutters or people who maybe didn’t grow up watching NBC or some of our cable networks. — Nilay Patel, The Verge, 2 Nov. 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