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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
as in curtailed
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in curtailment
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of cut-back
Thom Harris, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
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
Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 1 Oct. 2025
Toronto tied it up in the 60th minute when Richie Laryea sprinted and made a diving cutback pass from the endline to an unmarked Djordje Mihailovic, who knocked it past Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2025
Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
What To Know Vought has said the administration will cut back on Army Corps of Engineers infrastructure projects in major Democratic-run cities, including New York, San Francisco, Boston and Baltimore.
—Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cut-back
Verb
Alexander Sorloth was one of the first to reap the rewards of simply ignoring the offside trap, sidefooting home from a cut-back for Atletico Madrid back in March after Conor Gallagher was set free down the left.
—Thom Harris, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
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
Adjective
If your shrub has outgrown its space, do a hard cutback during the winter months.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 1 Oct. 2025
Toronto tied it up in the 60th minute when Richie Laryea sprinted and made a diving cutback pass from the endline to an unmarked Djordje Mihailovic, who knocked it past Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2025
Noun
As a way to help curb these issues without generating waste, TNC teamed up with the Henry Doorly Zoo to cut back the trees and shrubs at the preserve and then use the clippings to supplement the diets of some of the zoo's largest animals.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
What To Know Vought has said the administration will cut back on Army Corps of Engineers infrastructure projects in major Democratic-run cities, including New York, San Francisco, Boston and Baltimore.
—Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cut-back
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cut-back
Verb
-
To get into character for the role, the actor shaved his head, replacing his locks with a combover, and adjusted his posture to appear nearly a foot shorter.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Even as an advocate for working hard—especially in the office—JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon admitted that technology will likely shave off the need to work five days a week.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Sitting for too long during the day can compromise your health and shorten your lifespan.—
Fran Kritz,
Verywell Health,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Ellis is meant to help brands and retailers scenario plan, leveraging predictive analytics and natural language processing (NLP) to provide real-time insights that can shorten the decisioning process.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
What’s left of it was led, at least for a while, by a 29-year-old White House appointee who helped craft Project 2025, the right-wing blueprint that broadly calls for the curtailment of civil rights enforcement.—
J. David McSwane,
ProPublica,
18 Oct. 2025
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In past shutdowns, that has led to the closures of hundreds of national parks and museums, the curtailment of veterans' services, the suspension of health inspections, the postponement of immigration hearings and a slew of other impacts.—
Kevin Breuninger,
CNBC,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The organization is also working with ranchers to establish prescribed burn associations to manage the damaging plants and is organizing community cutting days to reduce woody encroachment further.—
Kelli Bender,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Store cut or cooked squash in an airtight zip-top bag or container in the refrigerator for up to four days.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Ohtani threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings in an abbreviated start.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
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Key Takeaways Small caps lead weekly gains, Russell 2000 jumps 3.5% Jobs report shows strength, but private sector lags behind Markets calm despite tariff uncertainty and Elon Musk drama Despite the abbreviated trading week, stocks posted decent gains.—
JJ Kinahan,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
Noun
-
After one year, participants in all three groups saw reductions not only in their distress but in levels of hemoglobin A1C (a key indicator of blood glucose; higher levels mean worse control).—
Lauren J. Young,
Scientific American,
14 Oct. 2025
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Rudolph said the tools, which are mainly used to automate session notes, to autogenerate care plans and to interpret lab results, have resulted in a 65 percent reduction in documentation time.—
Katherine Fung,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The scouts are getting an in-person look at the opposing players and game plan, and are on the lookout for anything the all-22 cutups can’t pick up, because the pieces of film are clipped closer to the snap itself.—
Jourdan Rodrigue,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Keep your toenails clipped and short.—
Carrie Madormo,
Health,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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That's the abridged version of the tricky nature of prosecuting a murder case without a body.—
Fox News,
Fox News,
17 Jan. 2023
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For theater owners, even the abridged period of theatrical exclusivity is considered a win.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Cut-back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cut-back. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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