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cut back 1 of 3

verb

Definition of cut backnext
1
as in to shave
to make (something) shorter or smaller with the use of a cutting instrument we need to cut back the bushes a bit so that the house number is visible from the street

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to shorten
to make less in extent or duration cut back the meeting so everyone could leave early for the long weekend

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

cut-back

2 of 3

adjective

as in curtailed

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Dissimilar Words

cutback

3 of 3

noun

as in curtailment

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cut back
Verb
Marta Carbal cares for five grandchildren after school and says that to pay rent, she's had to cut back on food. — Andrea Lucia, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026 Neither China nor India were likely to cut back on Russian oil, though tariffs will give Washington leverage in dealing with New Delhi and Beijing, experts said. — Anniek Bao,priyanka Salve, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026
Adjective
Back-to-back Javonte Williams runs got the offense to the 20-yard line, including the second one going for 15 yards after a cut-back to the left side. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Aug. 2026 The Vikings want to base out of the wide zone, where offensive linemen fire off the ball in tandem and running backs find clear cut-back lanes. — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 12 June 2026
Noun
The entertainment industry, one of the city’s defining economic engines, has slowed due to production cutbacks and broader changes in Hollywood. — Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 31 May 2026 The cutbacks are going far beyond a friendly prod to boost NATO defense spending. — Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for cut back
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cut back
  1. shave
  2. shorten
  3. abbreviated
  4. curtailment
  5. cut
  6. reduction
  7. clip
  8. shrinkage
Verb
  • Colbert gifted Kimmel his Captain America shield, did a sketch-within-an-interview with his son impersonating a Kiwi police officer, and shaved for our amusement.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Impacts of staff cuts Fort Worth ISD’s Board of Managers voted to enact a sweeping reduction in force to hundreds of positions across the district as part of its restructuring plan and to shave off areas of its budget.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of shave
Verb
  • Newsom also signed Senate Bill 186, which would strengthen the current tax incentive program by shortening the payout schedule for cash refunds and increasing the total refundable amount of unused tax credits.
    — Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Charging speeds also shortened this round by about five minutes compared with the iPhone 17 Pro series.
    — Florence Ion, PC Magazine, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of shorten
Adjective
  • In recent years, shorts have been getting smaller, shorter, more abbreviated.
    — Max Berlinger, Vogue, 22 May 2026
  • Tessa Francis fired an abbreviated no-hitter with eight strikeouts, while Ashley Mortensen went 3-for-4 as Marblehead routed Winthrop 12-0 in five innings in the Northeastern Conference.
    — Tyler McManus, Boston Herald, 19 May 2026
Definition of abbreviated
Noun
  • Such environmental waivers are not arbitrary decisions but legal mechanisms, ordered by local authorities, to prevent grid instability, for example when loss of wind generation would be exacerbated by curtailment of thermal plants.
    — Scott Montgomery, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • This can reduce the strain on the electric grid and help prevent the need for involuntary power curtailment or power brownouts, Holran notes.
    — Karla Walsh, Southern Living, 21 June 2026
Definition of curtailment
Verb
  • Lopez tossed a 17-yard touchdown pass to Carlos Hernandez to cut Miami’s lead to 11 points.
    — Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The decline raises the prospect of an interest rate cut by the central bank at next week’s monetary policy committee meeting, the penultimate one for this year.
    — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of cut
Noun
  • The 2026 study showed dramatic long-term reductions in indoor water use.
    — Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2026
  • At a quantum level, though, these reductions are happening in jumps, and Safavi-Naeini’s team measured them in real time, a first-of-its-kind achievement.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of reduction
Verb
  • Brands, including sports leagues, understand that content clipping is both a marketing strategy and a way to engage with new and established audiences.
    — Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Murphy is engaging enough to keep things clipping right along (and Emma is a heroine very easy to root for), but things are at their very best when Emma and Luke are giving into their big feelings.
    — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of clip
Noun
  • Scientists from the German Aerospace Center’s Institute of Space Research reported last week that Mercury’s shrinkage may be 30% greater than previously believed — a loss in diameter of as much as 14 miles.
    — Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2026
  • The shrinkage could be even more than his team is estimating based on measurements from NASA's Messenger spacecraft in the 2010s.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of shrinkage

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Cut back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cut%20back. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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