Practice
Phrasal verbs with cut: meanings and examples
A manager can cut back on travel, a storm can cut off a road, and scissors can cut out a paper shape. The verb cut stays the same, but the small word after it changes the message.
Use common phrasal verbs with cut by choosing the particle that matches the meaning in a sentence.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
cut down, cut off, cut out, cut back, and cut in /kʌt daʊn/, /kʌt ɔf/, /kʌt aʊt/, /kʌt bæk/, and /kʌt ɪn/
The short answer
Learn each cut phrasal verb as a complete phrase. Cut down and cut back often mean reduce, cut off means stop a connection or supply, cut out can mean remove or stop doing something, and cut in means interrupt or move into a line.
The council cut back on printing, but a fallen tree cut off the road to the village.
Why it works: Cut back means reduce an activity or amount. Cut off means stop access or connection.
5 more examples
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The clinic asked patients to cut down on sugary drinks.
Cut down on means reduce the amount of something.
Not this:The clinic asked patients to
cut off sugary drinks. What changes: Cut off suggests stopping a supply or connection. Cut down on is the usual phrase for reducing consumption. -
Heavy snow cut off the mountain road overnight.
Cut off means that the road could no longer be used to reach the area.
Not this:Heavy snow
cut back the mountain roadovernight. What changes: Cut back means reduce, so it does not describe a road becoming inaccessible. -
Ravi cut out the map and taped it inside his notebook.
Cut out means remove a shape or piece by cutting it.
Not this:Ravi
cut in the mapand taped it inside his notebook. What changes: Cut in does not mean remove a paper item with scissors. -
The department cut back on conference travel this year.
Cut back on means reduce the use or amount of something.
Not this:The department
cut out conference travelthis year. What changes: Cut out can mean stop completely. Cut back on says that the amount was reduced, not necessarily ended. -
Please do not cut in while Noor is answering the question.
Cut in means interrupt someone who is speaking.
Not this:Please do not
cut off while Noor is answeringthe question. What changes: Cut someone off can mean stop them from speaking, but cut in is the usual phrase for beginning an interruption yourself.
Read the full guide
Start with the result you want to describe. Are you reducing something, stopping access, removing part of something, or interrupting? That choice helps you select the particle. A phrasal verb may also be separable, so an object can sometimes go between cut and the particle.
Read cut with its particle
The particle is part of the meaning. Cut down, cut off, and cut out share a verb, but they do different jobs in a sentence. Before you choose one, decide what happened to the amount, connection, object, or conversation.
The editor cut out two paragraphs, while the finance team cut back on travel.
The editor removes text. The finance team reduces an expense.
Does the sentence describe removal, reduction, or a stopped connection?
Choose the complete phrasal verb after you identify the result.
Use cut down for reduction
Cut down on means reduce the amount of something. It often appears with food, spending, time, or a repeated habit. Cut down without on can also describe making a tree fall, so the words that follow tell you which meaning is intended.
I am trying to cut down on late-night screen time.
The speaker will use less screen time, not stop using screens completely.
Which phrase fits when the amount becomes smaller?
Use cut down on before the habit, product, or activity you want to reduce.
Use cut off when access stops
Cut off describes a broken connection or route. Weather can cut off a village from a road. A company can cut off a supply. During a conversation, one person can cut another person off by stopping them before they finish.
The flood cut off the only bridge to the island.
The bridge is unavailable, so the island cannot be reached by that route.
Has a route, service, or speaker been stopped?
Use cut off when a link, supply, route, or turn to speak ends suddenly.
Use cut out for removal or stopping
Use cut out for a shape that is removed with scissors. You can also cut out an activity, which means stop doing it. When sound or a phone connection cuts out, it stops temporarily. The noun or situation around the phrase shows which meaning fits.
The audio cut out for a few seconds during the call.
Nothing is being cut with a tool. The connection stops for a short time.
Are you removing an item, ending a habit, or describing a signal that stopped?
Use cut out when the context supports one of those meanings.
Separate cut back and cut in
Cut back on also means reduce, especially when a group changes spending or activity. Cut in has a different direction. It means interrupt a speaker or move into a line before another person. Do not use cut in when you mean reduce an amount.
The library cut back on evening hours after its budget changed.
The library still has evening hours, but it has fewer of them.
Are you reducing an amount, or interrupting somebody?
Use cut back on for reduction and cut in for an interruption or an unfair entry into a line.
Before you go
Remember this
Choose the particle by meaning. Use down or back for reduction, off for a stopped connection or route, out for removal or stopping an activity, and in for an interruption. Learn the phrase with a short example, then test it in a new sentence.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Phrasal verbs with cut: meanings and examples"
What does cut down on mean?
Cut down on means reduce the amount of something. You can cut down on sugar, spending, screen time, or other repeated habits. It usually suggests doing or using less, rather than stopping the thing completely. The word on normally comes before the noun that names the amount or habit.
The clinic asked patients to cut down on sugary drinks.
What is the difference between cut down and cut back?
Both phrases can describe reduction. Cut down on is common when you talk about a habit or amount, such as coffee or waste. Cut back on is often used for spending, staff hours, travel, or services. The surrounding noun and the full sentence help you choose the more natural phrase.
The clinic asked patients to cut off sugary drinks.
When should I use cut off?
Use cut off when a connection, supply, route, or conversation stops. A storm can cut off a town from the road. A provider can cut off electricity. You can also cut someone off when you stop them while they are speaking, though this can sound impolite.
Heavy snow cut off the mountain road overnight.
Can cut out mean stop doing something?
Yes. Cut out can mean stop an activity or habit completely, as in cut out smoking. It can also mean remove a piece with scissors, such as cut out a paper star. When a sound or connection cuts out, it stops for a short time.
Heavy snow cut back the mountain road overnight.
Is cut in the same as cut someone off?
Both can involve an interruption, but they describe it from different angles. Cut in usually means that you begin speaking while another person is speaking, or that you enter a line ahead of someone. Cut someone off means that you stop the other person from continuing.
Ravi cut out the map and taped it inside his notebook.