1
as in ending
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
the majority party cut off debate and forced a vote on the bill
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in separating
to set or keep apart from others
the dog cut off the one sheep that had to be sheared
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 off
If this is the case, then cutting off the water supply to this waterfall — to fill a dam or for irrigation, which happens — could harm the fish.
—
Ari Daniel, NPR, 5 Apr. 2026
Retail connections faded as foot traffic disappeared, cutting off communication with buyers.
—J.m. Banks
march 21, Kansas City Star, 21 Mar. 2026
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images The United Arab Emirates is considering cutting off Iranian access to billions of dollars held in the Gulf state, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 6 Mar. 2026
And people very quickly begin to think about cutting off electricity, cutting off water, damage to their cities.
—ABC News, 1 Mar. 2026
Timing Tips For Trimming And Pruning Spring-flowering trees and shrubs should be pruned immediately after blooming to encourage more blooms for reblooming plants or to avoid cutting off buds that have set for next year’s blooms.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 22 Feb. 2026
In Tennessee, Republican leaders have worked with the White House to craft a package of bills aimed at cutting off any state spending on unauthorized residents, in part by creating immigration checks for public school children.
—Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 14 Feb. 2026
Tax the billionaires to pay for our monthly healthcare and childcare costs, ban private equity firms from buying our homes, lower energy costs by cutting off wasteful bitcoin and AI data centers.
—Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
Advocates warn that cutting off the child care subsidies could have deep impacts.
—Geoff Mulvihill, Chicago Tribune, 7 Feb. 2026
Ari Daniel, NPR, 5 Apr. 2026
Retail connections faded as foot traffic disappeared, cutting off communication with buyers.
—J.m. Banks
march 21, Kansas City Star, 21 Mar. 2026
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images The United Arab Emirates is considering cutting off Iranian access to billions of dollars held in the Gulf state, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 6 Mar. 2026
And people very quickly begin to think about cutting off electricity, cutting off water, damage to their cities.
—ABC News, 1 Mar. 2026
Timing Tips For Trimming And Pruning Spring-flowering trees and shrubs should be pruned immediately after blooming to encourage more blooms for reblooming plants or to avoid cutting off buds that have set for next year’s blooms.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 22 Feb. 2026
In Tennessee, Republican leaders have worked with the White House to craft a package of bills aimed at cutting off any state spending on unauthorized residents, in part by creating immigration checks for public school children.
—Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 14 Feb. 2026
Tax the billionaires to pay for our monthly healthcare and childcare costs, ban private equity firms from buying our homes, lower energy costs by cutting off wasteful bitcoin and AI data centers.
—Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
Advocates warn that cutting off the child care subsidies could have deep impacts.
—Geoff Mulvihill, Chicago Tribune, 7 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cutting off
Verb
-
However, Richey escaped any further damage with an inning-ending strikeout.—
Mike Waters,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Apr. 2026
-
This one, coming off the back of two hugely disappointing, trophy-ending, and potentially derailing defeats, was one of their best of the season.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Some omelets are made lighter by separating the yolks and whites, beating up the latter, and folding in the former.—
Jeffrey Steingarten,
Vogue,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Adept at separating the unseen from the seen, Lemann here chronicles his family’s accumulation of wealth, whatever the moral costs or compromises, and their subsequent acculturation and partial deracination.—
Brenda Wineapple,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Peanut cannot smell, but caregivers say that limitation does not appear to be stopping him from adjusting to his new surroundings.—
Cierra Morgan,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
-
There are 81 rooms in total, ranging from classic doubles to one-bedroom apartments, while the show-stopping penthouse suite has a dining table for eight, a dressing room and an enormous 130-square-metre rooftop terrace with a private sauna and cold plunge pool overlooking Fitzrovia.—
Siobhan Grogan,
TheWeek,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
While much of the world was isolating, Robinson remembers dreaming up ways to bring people together.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
-
By isolating particles flowing together, the team confirmed that, just as is seen in heavy collisions, these lighter collisions give rise to baryons with stronger flow and mesons with weaker flow at intermediate speeds.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In practice, that involved ceasing to provide links or recommendations to official Potter events and products and committing themselves to directly countering the misinformation Rowling was spreading to her vast online audience.—
Séamas O'Reilly,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Without ever ceasing to be an artist.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Bills to temporarily halting data center construction have been introduced in at least dozen states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.—
Emily Wilkins,
CNBC,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Meaningful regime change, halting Iran's nuclear ambitions, and dismantling its ballistic missile program are all very much an open question, with some analysts saying the war has led to an even more hardline government in Tehran that may be more determined to pursue nuclear weapons.—
Greg Myre,
NPR,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Companies could also consider shutting off access to their technology for certain time frames, Rae suggests.—
Kristin Stoller,
Fortune,
24 Mar. 2026
-
If someone becomes trapped by suction, shutting off the pump can release the pressure immediately.—
Meghan Schiller,
CBS News,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Throughout the series, the couple navigated major life changes, including Lily’s brief move to San Francisco after breaking off her engagement with Marshall, plus arguments about their respective careers.—
Jane LaCroix,
PEOPLE,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Tonga provides an immediate upgrade there, and, at worst, should take some pressure off a secondary that too often had to play superhero on the back end to prevent opposing running backs from breaking off big gains.—
Jesse Newell,
New York Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cutting off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cutting%20off. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
