Phrasal Verbs with CUT: Meanings and Examples

The verb cut may be short, but it works extremely hard in English. It appears in dozens of phrasal verbs, and many of them have nothing to do with knives, scissors or cutting something physically.

We cut down on sugar, cut people off, cut through red tape and occasionally have to deal with someone who cuts in while we are speaking. English can be a dangerous place. 😄

In this lesson, you’ll learn some of the most useful phrasal verbs with CUT, with clear meanings and natural example sentences. They are particularly useful for everyday English and for learners preparing for Cambridge English exams at B2 and C1 level.

Cut across

Meaning 1: Go straight across an area instead of following the usual route

• If we cut across the fields, we’ll get there much faster.
• We cut across the park instead of walking along the main road.

Meaning 2: Include or affect different groups, categories or areas

• The problem cuts across social and cultural boundaries.

Common pattern:

cut across + groups/categories/boundaries

Cut away

Meaning: Remove part of something by cutting it

• He cut away the dead branches from the tree.
• The surgeon carefully cut away the damaged tissue.

It is often used when something unwanted or damaged is being removed.

Cut back on

Meaning: Reduce the amount of something you use, spend or consume

• We’re trying to cut back on unnecessary spending.
• The company needs to cut back on its energy consumption.

Common combinations:

• cut back on spending
• cut back on sugar
• cut back on alcohol
• cut back on expenses

Cut down on

Meaning: Reduce how much or how often you have or do something

• I’m trying to cut down on sweets.
• You should cut down on the amount of time you spend online.

Cut down on and cut back on are very similar and are often interchangeable.

Compare:

• I’m trying to cut down on coffee.
• I’m trying to cut back on coffee.

Both mean that you are drinking less coffee, but you have not necessarily stopped drinking it completely.

Cut in

Meaning 1: Interrupt someone while they are speaking

• I was explaining what had happened when she suddenly cut in.
• Sorry to cut in, but can I add something?

This is particularly useful when talking about conversations and discussions.

Meaning 2: Move suddenly in front of another vehicle

• A car cut in front of us without signalling.

Cut off

Cut off is one of the most useful phrasal verbs with cut because it has several common meanings.

Meaning 1: Stop the supply of something

• Our electricity was cut off because of the storm.
• They threatened to cut off the water supply.

Common nouns include:

electricity, water, gas, internet, supply

Meaning 2: Interrupt someone before they have finished speaking

• I was trying to explain, but he kept cutting me off.

Meaning 3: Make a person or place isolated

• Heavy snow cut the village off from the rest of the country.

Notice the common structure:

cut somebody/something off from something

Cut out

Meaning 1: Stop consuming or doing something completely

• My doctor advised me to cut out sugary drinks.
• She has cut out processed food completely.

This is stronger than cut down on or cut back on.

Compare:

• cut down on sugar = eat less sugar
• cut back on sugar = eat less sugar
• cut out sugar = stop eating sugar completely

Meaning 2: Remove something by cutting around it

• The children cut out pictures from old magazines.

Meaning 3: Stop working suddenly, especially a machine or engine

• The electricity cut out for a few seconds.

Be cut out for something

Meaning: Be naturally suitable for a particular job, activity or way of life

• I don’t think I’m cut out for office work.
• She’s definitely cut out for a career in medicine.

You can also say:

be cut out to do something

• He isn’t cut out to work under that much pressure.

This is a particularly useful expression for speaking and writing about careers, abilities and personality.

Cut through

Meaning 1: Deal with something difficult or complicated quickly and directly

• We need someone who can cut through all this bureaucracy.
• The new system should help us cut through unnecessary red tape.

A very common expression is:

cut through red tape

Red tape means unnecessary official rules and procedures that make something difficult or slow.

Meaning 2: Take a shorter route through somewhere

• We cut through the park on our way home.

Cut short

Meaning: Stop something earlier than expected or intended

• We had to cut our holiday short because of an emergency.
• The meeting was cut short when the fire alarm went off.

Common combinations include:

• cut a holiday short
• cut a meeting short
• cut a conversation short
• cut a career short

Cut up

Meaning: Cut something into smaller pieces

• Cut up the vegetables and add them to the soup.
• She cut up the old T-shirt and used it as a cleaning cloth.

You will often hear:

cut something up into pieces

• Cut the chicken up into small pieces.

Cut back on, cut down on or cut out?

These three phrasal verbs are easily confused.

cut back on	reduce	I’m cutting back on coffee.
cut down on	reduce	I’m cutting down on coffee.
cut out	stop completely	I’ve cut out coffee.

So, if you drink five cups of coffee instead of eight, you have cut down on / cut back on coffee.

If you drink no coffee at all, you have cut it out.

A small difference — but a useful one.

Phrasal Verbs with CUT: Quick Recap

cut across – go across something / affect different groups

cut away – remove by cutting

cut back on – reduce

cut down on – reduce

cut in – interrupt / move in front of another vehicle

cut off – stop a supply / interrupt / isolate

cut out – stop completely / remove / stop working

be cut out for – be naturally suitable for something

cut through – deal with something directly / take a shortcut

cut short – end something earlier than planned

cut up – cut into smaller pieces

As you can see, cut is far more than a verb for using a knife or a pair of scissors. These phrasal verbs allow us to talk about reducing things, interrupting people, ending activities, solving problems, taking shortcuts and even choosing the right career.

They are well worth learning because several of them are common in everyday conversation as well as at B2 and C1 level.

And if you manage to learn them all, you’ll have successfully cut through another difficult area of English — without cutting any fingers in the process. 😄

Download the free 100 Phrasal Verbs Workbook here

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