cut down

verb

cut down; cutting down; cuts down

transitive verb

1

a

: to strike down and kill or incapacitate

b

: knock down

2

a

: to remodel by removing extras or unwanted furnishings and fittings

b

: to remake in a smaller size

intransitive verb

: to reduce or curtail volume or activity

cut down on smoking

Phrases

cut down to size

: to reduce from an inflated or exaggerated importance to true or suitable stature

Examples of cut down in a Sentence

we need to cut down that dying tree

Recent Examples on the Web

Not only do these packing cubes from BAGSMART aid in organization, but the compression technology works wonders to cut down on bulk. —Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 8 Nov. 2025

To add 5,000 homes, millions of square feet of office space, half a million square feet of retail and 1,000 hotel rooms, developers cut down 1,400 acres of forest in a city where the tree canopy is steadily shrinking. —Khadejeh Nikouyeh, Charlotte Observer, 7 Nov. 2025

For many families, cutting down the Christmas tree is as much a holiday ritual as baking cookies or hanging stockings. —Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 7 Nov. 2025

The couple cut down 18 trees to reduce the wildfire risk. —Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 7 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1b

Rhymes for cut down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown

Kids Definition

cut down

verb

1

: to knock down and kill or wound

2

: to make over in a smaller size

3

: to reduce something in amount

cut down on energy use

Medical Definition

cutdown

noun

cut·​down ˈkət-ˌdau̇n 

: incision of a superficial blood vessel (as a vein) to facilitate insertion of a catheter (as for administration of fluids)