cut*/*/*/

[kʌt] (past tense and past participle cut) verb [T] I

1) to use a knife or other sharp tool to divide something into pieces, or to remove a piece of something

I need a sharp knife to cut the bread with.[/ex]

The telephone wires had been cut.[/ex]

I'm going to have my hair cut tomorrow.[/ex]

The apples had been cut in half.[/ex]

Cut the cake into small pieces.[/ex]

Will you cut me a slice of pizza?[/ex]

Firefighters had to cut a hole in the car roof to get him out.[/ex]

2) to injure a part of your body with something sharp that cuts the skin

Be careful not to cut your finger.[/ex]

He cut himself shaving.[/ex]

3) to remove parts of something such as a piece of writing or a computer document

Cut and paste the file (= cut and move a computer file) into your ‘documents' folder.[/ex]

They have cut some sex scenes from the film.[/ex]

You need to cut your speech by about ten minutes.[/ex]

4) to reduce an amount or level

Supermarkets are drastically cutting prices.[/ex]

We have cut our spending by 33%.[/ex]

Manufacturing companies have already cut thousands of jobs.[/ex]

5) to stop the supply of something or stop something working

The injury had cut the oxygen to her brain.[/ex]

•

cut and dried — already clearly decided or settled[/ex]

It's a fairly cut and dried case.[/ex]

cut corners — to do something quickly and carelessly because you want to save time or money[/ex]

cut your losses — to get out of a bad situation before it gets worse[/ex]

cut sb short — to interrupt someone who is talking[/ex]

cut sth short — to end something before it is completely finished[/ex]

We cut our holiday short because Rachel fell ill.[/ex]

cut sth short — to make something last for less time than it was planned to last for[/ex]

I'm sorry we had to cut our visit short.[/ex]

- cut across sth

- cut (sth) back

- cut (sth) down

- cut sth down

- cut in

- cut sb off

- cut sth off

- cut out

- cut sth out

- cut through sth

- cut sth up

II

noun [C]

cut */*/*/[kʌt]

1) an injury on your skin where something sharp has cut it

My son's face was covered in cuts and bruises.[/ex]

2) a reduction in something

job/tax/pay/defence cuts[/ex]

a cut in education spending[/ex]

3) a mark or hole in a surface where something sharp has cut it

Make a series of small cuts in the meat.[/ex]

4) a part that has been removed from something such as a speech or a piece of writing

5) informal

someone's part of a total amount of money

Don't forget your agent takes a 10% cut.[/ex]

6) a piece of meat

a lean cut of beef[/ex]

•

be a cut above — to be much better than someone or something else[/ex]

See:

power cut