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
Managers of Glen Canyon Dam intend to substantially cut back flows from the dam through the Grand Canyon this year, Brandon Loomis reports for The Arizona Republic. — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026 Top ice cream with berries, nuts, or seeds instead of candy to cut back on sugar and boost fiber. — Amy Brownstein, Verywell Health, 16 July 2026
Adjective
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 Both were from similar actions, where Paintsil tapped in a cut-back pass that nobody on Sporting’s back line anticipated. — Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 28 Sep. 2025
Noun
What this usually means is an aggressive reduction in expenses; in the case of a college athletic department, that would likely mean the potential elimination of entire programs, staff positions, and a cutback on various budgets. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 May 2026 The Writers Guild of America has ratified a four-year contract with the major studios, agreeing to significant cutbacks in the writers’ health plan. — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 24 Apr. 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
  • Others were offered $100 to eat a cup of wasabi or shave their head for several thousand dollars.
    — Kalia Richardson, USA Today, 14 July 2026
  • Morsa Images / Getty Images Evidence has been accumulating steadily for over a decade that arthroscopic knee surgery to shave torn, degenerative cartilage does not help more than physical therapy.
    — Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal, CBS News, 13 July 2026
Definition of shave
Verb
  • Soli said several heat safety measures are in place, including mandatory hydration breaks during games, additional hydration stations and medical staff on every field who will monitor conditions and shorten games by five to ten minutes a half.
    — Ubah Ali, CBS News, 14 July 2026
  • The companies believe that approach can shorten the time needed to field new capabilities for military customers.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 13 July 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
  • The first due to a slip from Porro, which allowed Andy Robertson to cut the ball back for McTominay.
    — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 18 July 2026
  • The Odyssey’s crew is full of longtime Nolan collaborators, from cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, who has worked with Nolan since Interstellar, to editor Jennifer Lame, who previously cut Tenet and Oppenheimer.
    — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026
Definition of cut
Noun
  • There has been a reduction in the wage budget, too, with big earners Gordon, Tonali and Kieran Trippier replaced by younger players on more modest salaries, including Ewen Jaouen, Sean Steur and Bazoumana Toure.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 18 July 2026
  • The company says the software maintains more than 99% classification accuracy despite the dramatic reduction.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 July 2026
Definition of reduction
Verb
  • All of my essentials are packed in my Stowaway, which clips into my weekender as a bag organizer, and can clip out to be worn on its own as a crossbody when walking around during the day or as a clutch when going out in the evening.
    — Elly Leavitt, Vogue, 16 July 2026
  • He was arrested crossing the border from Mexico into Texas in September 1981, according to a news clipping from the Chicago Tribune.
    — Doha Madani, NBC news, 16 July 2026
Definition of clip
Noun
  • Sisters with lower blood folate (vitamin B9) levels tended to show greater brain shrinkage and weaker cognitive performance, particularly when their homocysteine levels were elevated.
    — Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 July 2026
  • Sisters with lower blood folate, or vitamin B9, tended to show greater brain shrinkage and weaker cognitive performance than those with higher levels.
    — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 16 July 2026
Definition of shrinkage

Browse Nearby Words

cut-and-paste
cut back
cut-back
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Cite this Entry

“Cut back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cut%20back. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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