cut
Pronunciation: (kut), [key]
— v., adj., n. cut, cut•ting,
—v.t.
- to penetrate with or as if with a sharp-edged instrument or object: He cut his finger.
- to divide with or as if with a sharp-edged instrument; sever; carve: to cut a rope.
- to detach with or as if with a sharp-edged instrument; separate from the main body; lop off: to cut a slice from a loaf of bread.
- to hew or saw down; fell: to cut timber.
- to trim by clipping, shearing, paring, or pruning: to cut hair.
- to mow; reap; harvest: to cut grain.
- to abridge or shorten; edit by omitting a part or parts: to cut a speech.
- to lower, reduce, diminish, or curtail (sometimes fol. by down): to cut prices.
- to dilute; make less thick: to cut wine.
- to dissolve: That detergent cuts grease effectively.
- to intersect; cross: One line cuts another at right angles.
- to cease; discontinue (often fol. by out): Cut the kidding. Let's cut out the pretense.
- to stop; halt the running of, as a liquid or an engine (often fol. by off): The pilot cut the engines and glided in for a landing. Cut off the hot water.
- to dilute or adulterate (a drug) by mixing it with other substances.
- to grow (a tooth or teeth) through the gum: The baby is cutting his teeth.
- to type, write, or draw on (a stencil) for mimeographing.
- to make or fashion by cutting, as a statue, jewel, or garment.
- to produce a pattern (in glass) by grinding and polishing.
- to refuse to recognize socially; shun ostentatiously: Her friends began to cut her as the season progressed.
- to strike sharply, as with a whip.
- to absent oneself from: allowed to cut three classes per semester.
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- to stop (a scene or shot being filmed).
- to edit (a film).
- to wound the feelings of severely.
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- to divide (a pack of cards) at random into two or more parts, by removing cards from the top.
- to take (a card) from a deck.
- to record a selection on (a phonograph record or tape); make a recording of.
- to castrate or geld.
- to hit (a ball) with either the hand or some instrument so as to change its course and often to cause it to spin.
- to hollow out; excavate; dig: to cut a trench.
- to strike and send off (a ball) in front of the batsman, and parallel to the wicket.
- to be a nonplaying dealer, manager, or supervisor of (a card game, crap game, or other gambling game) in return for a percentage of the money bet or sometimes for a fee.
—v.i.
- to penetrate or divide something, as with a sharp-edged instrument; make an incision: The scissors cut well.
- to admit of being cut: Butter cuts easily.
- to pass, go, or come, esp. in the most direct way (usually fol. by across, through, in, etc.): to cut across an empty lot.
- Cut to the barroom interior.
- to shift suddenly from one shot to another:Cut to the barroom interior.
- to stop the action of a scene: used as a command by a director.
- to make a sudden or sharp turn in direction; change direction suddenly; swerve: We cut to the left to avoid hitting the child.
- to strike a person, animal, etc., sharply, as with a whip.
- to wound the feelings severely: His criticism cut deep.
- (of the teeth) to grow through the gums.
- to cut the cards.
- to leave hastily: to cut for the hills.
- (of a horse) to interfere.
- to perform a spirited, brief, outlandish dance step, esp. as a result of euphoria.
- to precede or go beyond considerations of; transcend: The new tax program cuts across party lines.
- He cut a distinguished figure in his tuxedo.
- Seecut a caper.
- to give a certain impression of oneself:He cut a distinguished figure in his tuxedo.
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- Naut.to cut the anchor cable and set sail, as in an emergency.
- to leave as hurriedly as possible; flee.
- Steel production has been cut back in recent months.
- to shorten by cutting off the end.
- to curtail or discontinue:Steel production has been cut back in recent months.
- to return to an earlier episode or event, as in the plot of a novel.
- Football.to reverse direction suddenly by moving in the diagonally opposite course.
- to have, produce, or result in advantages as well as disadvantages: This decision will inevitably cut both ways.
- to cut down on between-meal snacks.
- Also,cut down on.to lessen; decrease:to cut down on between-meal snacks.
- to strike and cause to fall:The first force to attempt an advance was swiftly cut down.
- to destroy, kill, or disable:The hurricane cut down everything in its path.
- to remodel, remake, or reduce in size, as a garment:She had her old coat cut down to fit her daughter.
- to reduce the stature or importance of: The novelist had a big ego until the critics cut him down to size.
- A speeding car cut in and nearly caused an accident.
- to move or thrust oneself, a vehicle, etc., abruptly between others:A speeding car cut in and nearly caused an accident.
- to interpose; interrupt:to cut in with a remark.
- Informal.to interrupt a dancing couple in order to dance with one of them.
- to blend (shortening) into flour by means of a knife.
- The aging football player decided he couldn't cut it any longer and retired.
- to achieve or maintain a desired level of performance:The aging football player decided he couldn't cut it any longer and retired.
- to be effective or successful; satisfy a need.
- to stop doing something: That hurts! Cut it out!
- See(def. 10).
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- to intercept.
- to interrupt.
- to stop suddenly; discontinue.
- to halt the operation of; turn off.
- to shut off or shut out.
- to disinherit.
- to sever; separate.
- He has his work cut out for him.
- to omit; delete; excise.
- to oust and replace a rival; supplant.
- to part an animal from a herd.
- to plan; arrange:He has his work cut out for him.
- to move out of one's lane of traffic.
- Also,cut on out.Slang.to leave suddenly.
- Informal.to refrain from; stop:to cut out smoking.
- (of an engine, machine, etc.) to stop running.
- They got scolded for cutting up in church.
- to cut into pieces or sections.
- to lacerate; wound.
- to distress mentally; injure.
- Informal.to play pranks; misbehave:They got scolded for cutting up in church.
—adj.
- that has been subjected to cutting; divided into pieces by cutting; detached by cutting: cut flowers.
- fashioned by cutting; having the surface shaped or ornamented by grinding, polishing, or the like: cut diamonds.
- reduced by or as if by cutting: cut whiskey; cut prices.
- incised; cleft.
- castrated; gelded.
- drunk.
- fitted for; capable of: He wasn't cut out for military service.
—n.
- the act of cutting; a stroke or a blow, as with a knife, whip, etc.
- the result of cutting, as an incision, wound, passage, or channel.
- a piece cut off: a cut of a pie.
- a share, esp. of earnings or profits: His agent's cut is 20 percent.
- a haircut, often with a styling.
- a reduction in price, salary, etc.
- the manner or fashion in which anything is cut: the cut of a dress.
- style; manner; kind: We need a man of his cut in this firm.
- a passage or course straight across or through: a cut through the woods.
- an excision or omission of a part.
- a part or quantity of text deleted or omitted.
- a quantity cut, esp. of lumber.
- a refusal to recognize an acquaintance.
- an act, speech, etc., that wounds the feelings.
- an engraved plate or block of wood used for printing.
- a printed picture or illustration.
- an absence, as from a school class, at which attendance is required.
- part of an animal usually cut as one piece.
- a cutting of the cards.
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- the act of cutting a ball.
- the spin imparted.
- a blow with the edge of the blade instead of the tip.
- one of several pieces of straw, paper, etc., used in drawing lots.
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- the instantaneous or gradual transition from one shot or scene to another in an edited film.
- an edited version of a film. Cf. rough cut, final cut.
- an act or instance of editing a film.
- an individual song, musical piece, or other similar material on a record or tape.
- any product of the fractional distillation of petroleum.
- somewhat superior to another (thing, person, etc.) in some respect: Her work is a cut above anyone else's.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.