intercut

verb in·ter·cut \ ˌin-tər-ˈkət \

|Updated on: 10 Jun 2018

Definition of intercut

intercut; intercutting; intercuts

transitive verb

1 : to insert (a contrasting camera shot) into a take by cutting

2 : to insert a contrasting camera shot into (a take) by cutting

intransitive verb

: to alternate contrasting camera shots by cutting

Recent Examples of intercut from the Web

Later in the story, a shot of an Asian biker tearing along on her motorcycle is intercut with the word SPEED blinking red against a black screen.

— j.r. jones, Chicago Reader, "Mod Fuck Explosion: Stuck in the past, ahead of its time," 9 May 2018
The scenes are short, clipped, often intercutting between two lines of action.

— michael phillips, chicagotribune.com, "'The Seagull' review: Decamping to Chekhovlandia with Saoirse Ronan," 17 May 2018
These scenes are intercut with old BBC footage from a special on McQueen's first couture show at Givenchy, as well as still photographs taken by Anne Deniau, who followed the designer over a period of 13 years.

— brooke bobb, Vogue, "The New Alexander McQueen Doc Evokes the Eye-Welling, Spine-Tingling Emotion of His Most Memorable Shows," 20 Apr. 2018
Curran and his producers attempted to capture the media coverage by intercutting archival news footage and newspaper headlines throughout the narrative.

— lorraine boissoneault, Smithsonian, "Why the True Story of “Chappaquiddick” Is Impossible to Tell," 2 Apr. 2018
The film intercuts the hijackers’ circumstance with wrangling between Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin (Lior Ashkenazi) and defense head Shimon Peres (Marsan) over how to respond.

— tom russo, BostonGlobe.com, "‘7 Days in Entebbe’ tells the tale of a flight held hostage in Uganda," 15 Mar. 2018
Padilla intercuts the action and drama with scenes of a performance of an Israeli modern dance troupe rehearsing a show.

— michael heaton, cleveland.com, "'7 Days in Entebbe' is tense historical drama (Review)," 15 Mar. 2018
The latest from director Todd Haynes, which intercuts two stories, one set in 1927 and the other in 1977, each involving a deaf child exploring Manhattan, had interesting cinematic possibilities.

— chronicle staff report, San Francisco Chronicle, "Movie review capsules, Oct. 29," 25 Oct. 2017
One of this performance-art documentary’s low points occurs when Rossi intercuts news video — predictable, button-pushing montages of the Walter Scott and Eric Garner deaths.

— armond white, National Review, "Girls Trip and Bronx Gothic: Two Visions of Post-Obama Black Empowerment," 14 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'intercut.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of intercut

1932

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Learn More about intercut

See words that rhyme with intercut

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up intercut? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

intercut

Definition of intercut

Recent Examples of intercut from the Web

First Known Use of intercut

Learn More about intercut

Seen and Heard

WORD OF THE DAY

notorious

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

Words at Play

'Creep': A Skin-Crawling History

Centuries and How to Refer to Them

If the Shoe Fits

On the Disruption of 'Disrupt'

Ask the Editors

Ghost Word

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

Literally

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

Word Games

Words for Summer: A Quiz

Name More Food!

Name That Thing

SCRABBLE® Sprint

'Creep': A Skin-Crawling History

Words for Summer: A Quiz

If the Shoe Fits

Trending: 'Asylum' Trends as Policies Draw Attention

Ghost Word

intercut

Definition of intercut

Recent Examples of intercut from the Web

First Known Use of intercut

Learn More about intercut

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

'Creep': A Skin-Crawling History

Words for Summer: A Quiz

If the Shoe Fits

Trending: 'Asylum' Trends as Policies Draw Attention

Ghost Word