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cutting 1 of 3

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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2
3

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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6
7
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
In 2022, debris from an underwater volcanic eruption severed the island's only subsea communication cable, cutting the island off from the rest of the world. Magdalena Petrova, CNBC, 8 Nov. 2025 Richard’s motor ran high despite the lopsided score, cutting for two layups and also canning a 3-pointer to put up a quick seven points in the period. Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2025 The first-year coach has been effusive about Johnson’s knack for relocation and natural feel for cutting. Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 8 Nov. 2025 Jonas Brodin saw Hinostroza cutting hard to the Islanders’ net. Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 8 Nov. 2025 Governments under fiscal strain are simultaneously cutting social supports such as child care subsidies and workforce training. Jane Sadowsky, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2025 Avoid cutting more than ⅓ off your plant at one time to avoid stressing the plant. Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 7 Nov. 2025 His winning message offered easily understood ideas for cutting the cost of living. Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025 The Federal Aviation Administration is cutting flights across the country, starting with a 4 percent reduction across 40 major airports on Friday. Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 7 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cutting
Adjective
  • But usually the administration official doesn’t fight back in such a biting way.
    David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Over nearly three decades, Baumbach has built a career chronicling families in crisis and artists at the crossroads, his films combining biting wit with an unflinching emotional honesty.
    Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Since that inaugural episode in late July, a steady stream of blistering satirical installments has not let up on the POTUS and key White House officials, from VP JD Vance to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
    Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 10 Nov. 2025
  • Where Tom is the satirical end point of corporate America’s moral rot, Guiteau is like his spiritual predecessor, a 19th-century American striver so intoxicated by the promise of self-making that rejection feels like cosmic betrayal.
    Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Tie the look together by adding orange slices to your favorite holiday sangria recipe.
    Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Dessert included chocolate mousse and crisp slices of watermelon and pineapple.
    Idra Novey, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Studying the inner structure of a cactus usually involves slicing the column into pieces, then adding weights to different sections.
    John Leos, AZCentral.com, 10 Nov. 2025
  • Let cool in dish on a wire rack for 10 minutes before slicing.
    Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 10 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Getting the drain clear of debris will help improve your machine's efficiency and overall functionality, so don't even think about skipping this step.
    Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 10 Nov. 2025
  • Miami played much better in the rematch 10 days later in Fort Lauderdale, holding Cincinnati to a 0-0 draw despite the absence of Messi and Jordi Alba, who were serving a suspension for skipping the MLS All-Star Game.
    Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 10 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • But the attacks continue, extending fuel shortages to large swathes of central and southern Mali and isolating garrisons of government forces.
    Tim Lister, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 2025
  • This dynamic can feel incredibly isolating and shameful.
    Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • And the only questions she's getting asked are about shaving her head.
    Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Another unit in Tsuen Wan, a residential neighborhood in the New Territories, was sold at a loss of $142,000, shaving 40% off the original price, according to local news reports.
    Chris Lau, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Cormican and sheriff’s deputies spent that afternoon traveling back and forth across the lake at about four miles an hour, as if mowing a lawn, pulling the towfish on a cable behind them.
    Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
  • The gang starts getting creepy, threatening notes right as Ghostface shows up and starts mowing local teens down.
    Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Cutting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cutting. Accessed 27 Nov. 2025.

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