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
Janhavi Munde, Hartford Courant, 16 July 2025
Officials with the firefighters union said the closing of fire companies and cutbacks on staff have been a problem for decades.
—Holly Ramer, Fortune, 15 July 2025
Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Aug. 2025
New blood pressure guidelines say cut back on these two things.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cut-back
Adjective
Legislative leaders expect to call a special session in early fall to decide how much of those dollars and other state resources should be used to offset cutbacks in federal aid.
—Janhavi Munde, Hartford Courant, 16 July 2025
Officials with the firefighters union said the closing of fire companies and cutbacks on staff have been a problem for decades.
—Holly Ramer, Fortune, 15 July 2025
Noun
For many Americans, cutting back on dining out is one of the first signs of financial pressure—especially among lower- and middle-income households.
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Aug. 2025
New blood pressure guidelines say cut back on these two things.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cut-back
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cut-back
Verb
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At one point in the movie, the actress shaves her head on camera.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
30 Aug. 2025
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Per a Vogue cover story earlier this month, the actress’ head was shaved in real time during a scene in the movie.—
Jack Smart,
People.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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After a four-year period, the people taking vitamin D showed less than half of the telomere shortening than the placebo group.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
29 Aug. 2025
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This week, during a meeting of that council, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the administration was considering shortening the window for postdisaster funding.—
Rachel Frazin,
The Hill,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The curtailment of academic freedom, the deportation of foreign students, the banning of protests: all of this is being done under the pretext of protecting Jews, who alone are entitled to protections that other groups apparently don’t merit.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
18 Aug. 2025
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This will also necessarily result in curtailment of renewable production under some conditions, lowering the EROI of these renewable sources.—
John Timmer,
Ars Technica,
21 May 2024
Verb
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An ability to get the products overland from Guyana’s capital, Georgetown, will cut weeks and substantial costs out of that supply chain.—
David Blackmon,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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Consolidation has been another trend, with some fretting over Amazon merging Wondery into Audible and cutting staff.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Tampa Bay’s first two Cup Final runs in that stretch came in abbreviated seasons.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The franchise fee was introduced under Hernandez to help offset the financial strain caused by a prior reduction in the tax rate.—
Veronica Egui Brito,
Miami Herald,
28 Aug. 2025
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After six months, 54% of patients had a reduction in symptoms.—
Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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But after opponents of the regulations tried to further clip them, Sen. Robert Rodriguez, the Senate’s majority leader and the regulations’ primary backer, killed the reform bill entirely.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
20 Aug. 2025
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But the acceptance speeches were also engaging enough to be clipped within the Primetime Emmys telecast.—
Marcus Jones,
IndieWire,
20 Aug. 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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On Friday, Burrows, R-Lubbock, made public his request to Uvalde District Attorney Christina Mitchell Busbee for an abridged video from a school hallway camera to be released.—
Dallas News,
Dallas News,
11 July 2022
Cite this Entry
“Cut-back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cut-back. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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