cutting 1 of 3

Definition of cuttingnext
1
as in biting
causing intense discomfort to one's skin a frigid day with a cutting wind that made it seem even colder

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cutting

2 of 3

noun

as in slice
a piece that has been separated from the whole by cutting a bag full of grass cuttings

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cutting

3 of 3

verb

present participle of cut
1
2
as in skipping
to fail to attend a warning that she had been cutting too many classes without valid excuses

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3
4
as in shaving
to make (something) shorter or smaller with the use of a cutting instrument when you cut the pad, make it a little smaller than the carpet

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5
as in mowing
to shorten the standing leafy plant cover of you need to cut the lawn very soon—before it becomes a jungle

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8
as in intersecting
to divide by passing through or across a long mountain range virtually cuts that country in half

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9

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 cutting
Verb
Pfeiffer opened the scoring in the eighth minute, cutting across from the right wing and beating Denver keeper Abby Smith with her left foot. Harold Gutmann, Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2026 The recently recovered Celtics star drew a shooting foul, fed Queta for a cutting dunk and sank a 3-pointer on consecutive Celtics possessions, then pulled up for an 18-footer a minute later. Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 15 Mar. 2026 The third quarter saw the Bears chip away at the lead, cutting it to 44-31 heading into the final frame. Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Mar. 2026 The budget takes work, and lawmakers also must resolve details of a ballot question on cutting property taxes in Florida, and on redrawing the lines of congressional districts to tilt the playing field even more in the Republicans’ favor. Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2026 To shorten a branch, make a cut above a healthy bud, and remove whole branches by cutting at an angle at the swollen collar area where the branch meets the trunk. Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 14 Mar. 2026 And even his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, who also features on the Epstein files, seems to be cutting ties with him. Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 14 Mar. 2026 Joint representation allows the university, the athletes and their lawyers to freely share information without waiving attorney-client privilege, while cutting and simplifying the process for covering legal costs. Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 14 Mar. 2026 After cutting direct military aid to Ukraine last year, Washington even reached out to Kyiv for its expertise in countering Iranian drones, which Russia uses to attack it. Robin Wright, New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cutting
Adjective
  • As the nation bonded as one over the past two weeks biting nails, screaming at wins, wincing at crashes and choking up at all the beautiful moments of Olympic competition, another group of athletes were – and still are – out honing their multi-level championship skills.
    Moira McCarthy, Boston Herald, 25 Feb. 2026
  • The bulk of a Tyrannosaurus rex skull, the biting point of a shark tooth, the startling familiarity of a hominin footprint—and then there’s the charm inherent to any sample of regurgitalite, the paleontological term for fossilized vomit.
    Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • The satirical stuff that Hart was writing in the 1930s no longer would play in the 1940s with the war on.
    Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2026
  • The darkly satirical film stars Kirsten Dunst, Daniel Brühl, and Keanu Reeves and is set on a long-haul flight where the entertainment system fails and passengers are forced to face the horror of being bored.
    Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 13 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • In South Park, off Brownsville Road, there's a brick building holding a tiny slice of Jurassic Park.
    Megan Shinn, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
  • The Midway Diner is expected to offer sit-down breakfasts and lunches, and an Italian pizzeria will serve Chianti wine and slices from an Italforni Bull electric deck oven.
    Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 15 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Observations of the Milky Way have revealed an enormous rotating barlike structure made of gas, dust and millions of stars slicing through our galactic center.
    Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 12 Mar. 2026
  • The two of them spent their days in arctic conditions, slicing fish bound for supermarket sushi platters and planning the details of an omakase restaurant backed by investors Gong knew.
    Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The untitled track comes with a serotonin-providing video of a person—perhaps the Norwegian singer/composer herself—skipping down a road carrying a baby, with a brief cameo from a similarly cheerful dog.
    Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Russian artists are also staging a comeback at the Venice Biennale in May after skipping two previous editions.
    Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 12 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Venus’s alignment with Saturn kicks the day off on an isolating note.
    USA TODAY, USA Today, 8 Mar. 2026
  • Iran’s retaliation is isolating Tehran and angering its Mideast neighbors.
    Marissa Martinez, NBC news, 5 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Jalen Smith, one of the men alleged to have helped perpetrate a sprawling college basketball point-shaving scheme, pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to charges stemming from a Department of Justice indictment that unspooled the gambling ring.
    Mike Vorkunov, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2026
  • In 2025, companies were talking about using artificial intelligence to trim expenses, like shaving a few points off operating costs with copilots and automation tools.
    Deirdre Bosa, CNBC, 5 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Just as mowing wet grass can be harmful to lawns, mowing during the hottest part of the day can cause unnecessary stress to turfgrasses, particularly during mid-summer.
    Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 12 Mar. 2026
  • Wait Until the Grass Is Dry Wait until the grass is dry before mowing.
    Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 11 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Cutting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cutting. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.

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