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to cut

to cut

343 2.8
To move quickly in a new direction, often to take a shortcut
  • verb
  • /kʌt/
  • Informal
translation icon : atravesar
  • We decided to cut through the park to save time on our way to the meeting.
  • cut across national boundaries
  • cut across traditional boundaries

It cuts across in this way, cuts across the top like this.

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Examples

  • Oh, it looks like there's an alley I can cut through.

  • We just have to cut through this, and the workshop won't be far.

  • You follow that path and then cut toward the road.

  • Cut over the 3rd Street bridge!

  • That's where we cut through the fence.

  • I'm real glad about that, but right now, I gotta cut to the chase 'cause there's not much time.

  • Bedia sees his work as having the potential to cut through national, class, and religious boundaries.

    Academic text (2001)
  • Television, radio, and print media cut across geographical and socioeconomic lines throughout Puerto Rico.

    Academic text (1991)
  • We rode the Staten Island ferry, cutting two foamy lines in the swollen harbor.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • To reach the beach faster, we can cut across the field instead of taking the long road.

Synonyms

to veer
vsto cut
63 4.2

To change direction suddenly

adds the idea of moving directly through areas or taking shortcuts
to swerve
vsto cut
61 2.8

To turn suddenly to avoid hitting something

includes sudden direction change but also covers quick direct crossing and shortcuts
to cut through
vsto cut
51 3.0

To go straight across a place, for example through land or a crowd

focuses more on quick direct travel, shortcuts, or abrupt direction changes
to slew
vsto cut
15 7.6

To slide or turn sideways suddenly, often out of control

is more about purposeful quick crossing or intentional shortcutting rather than sliding
to slice through
vsto cut
10 4.1

Cut or move quickly and smoothly through air and water

is broader, adding idea of shortcuts and sudden changes of direction
to cut across
vsto cut
8 3.2

To go through a place like a park to make a shorter route

highlights both quick crossing and sudden directional shifts rather than just route
to transect
vsto cut
4 7.9

To cut across a place in a straight line and divide it

is less technical, emphasizing quick travel and shortcuts or sharp turns
to slice into
vsto cut
3 4.2

Move a sharp object into something to cut it

focuses instead on quick direct crossing or sudden shifts in path
to knife
vsto cut
2 7.4

To move quickly and smoothly through water or snow

stresses quick direct movement or abrupt course changes rather than blade image
to lance
vsto cut
1 6.4

Move forward quickly and forcefully as if cutting through the air

is more about making a quick direct route or abrupt directional change

Antonyms

27 5.3

To move slowly along a curving path

17 5.0

Move or act slowly and waste time, causing delay

Idioms

to cut a rug
  • Archaic
6 8.4

To dance with a lot of energy and have fun

6 5.2

Very similar in character and background

to cut the cord
  • Informal
5 6.6

To stop depending on someone or something and become independent

Buy or sell directly from the maker without using other sellers

4 4.3

Clearly better than others in quality or style

Remove slow official rules to make things happen faster

2 7.4

To beat someone completely in a competition or argument

To remove official rules and extra paperwork that delay action

1 8.8

Choose to act now or step aside so someone else can

1 9.9

The way someone looks or acts that shows what they are like

Deliberately do something that hurts you more than the person you want to punish

1 7.7

Have a strong effect on many people or things

to cut to the quick
  • Literature
1 7.9

To hurt someone's feelings very deeply

1 7.7

To become independent from your parents and live on your own

1 9.6

To pass gas from your bottom, usually said as a joke

1 6.8

To become independent from parents and make your own decisions

to cut a dash
  • Informal
7.2

To attract attention by looking smart and stylish

to cut a figure
  • Informal
7.6

To stand out and make people notice you

To criticize someone who stands out to make them seem less successful

To spend only what you can afford

To gain first experience in a job or activity

To leave a place quickly, often to avoid trouble

Start talking about the most important details of a topic

To live within the money you have

8.4

To betray or hurt someone to get an advantage

mad as a cut snake
  • Australian
9.9

Feeling extremely angry and acting wildly

To check something carefully before you do it to avoid mistakes

Phrasal Verbs

620 3.8

To stop something suddenly before it is finished

to cut it
  • Informal
216 7.2

Stop doing something annoying when someone tells you

to cut off
  • NSFW
190 4.1

To remove something by cutting it away from what it is attached to

169 2.9

To reduce how much you buy and use to save money and be healthier

to cut a deal
  • Informal
94 3.5

Make an agreement after talking, often in business or politics

89 2.3

To make something into smaller pieces using a knife or tool

to cut to
  • Jargon
88 5.1

Move suddenly from one scene to another in a film or TV show

80 1.0

Make a person's hair shorter using scissors or clippers

77 3.2

To remove a shape from paper or cloth using scissors

Use less of something to save money or be healthier

67 3.5

Stop something earlier than planned

65 2.7

To make something smaller in amount or number

62 4.1

Cause serious harm to people or things with a sharp object

To go straight across a place, for example through land or a crowd

49 1.9

To make a tree or plant fall by cutting it at the base

45 4.1

To stop working suddenly

to cut out
  • Jargon
44 4.6

To move suddenly in front of someone to block their way

32 1.1

Make something into smaller pieces using scissors or a knife

To be chosen to join a team after a test or tryout

30 3.0

To spend less money to save or make more money

to cut corners
  • Informal
23 3.8

To do something quickly or cheaply by skipping important steps so the result is lower quality

to cut in
  • Informal
19 4.7

Give someone a share of future profits

to cut loose
  • Informal
18 4.4

To have fun and act without control, or to remove someone from their job

12 3.6

To make a person or thing fall to the ground, often by force

12 4.6

Move suddenly in front of another vehicle leaving little space

To make the grass in a garden short using a lawnmower

To go through a place like a park to make a shorter route

8 3.8

Move ahead of people in a line without waiting for your turn

Break something into many small parts or hurt someone very badly

to cut down
  • Jargon
7 3.4

To stop another player in a game, often by tackling them

To move suddenly and rudely in front of someone while waiting or driving

6 3.5

Interrupt someone who is speaking or doing something

to cut it close
  • Informal
6 5.0

To leave very little time before something happens and risk being late

to cut back
  • Jargon
5 5.5

To return to an earlier scene in a film or TV show to show past events

5 3.4

To remove a part from something with a knife or tool

4 6.9

Step between two people who are dancing to take one partner

To go beyond usual boundaries like age or department

4 3.9

To trim stems or branches so a plant grows better

3 6.7

To make someone less proud by showing they are not as good as they think

to cut in
  • Specialized
3 4.8

Mix fat into flour with a cutting motion until crumbly

to cut away
  • Jargon
3 6.8

To switch quickly to another scene or camera angle during filming

3 4.5

To loosen and move soil with a tool like a spade

to clear-cut
  • Specialized
2 6.1

To cut down all the trees in an area at once

To make a message clear so people notice it despite distractions

1 7.7

To slowly take away someone's confidence or joy

To stop eating or drinking foods with added sugar

to cut slack
  • Informal
1 5.5

Treat someone less strictly because they are having trouble

7.2

To move around a place with no clear purpose

to cut bait
  • Informal
8.8

Stop wasting time and either act now or give up a plan that does not work

to cut at a bevel
  • Specialized
6.3

To cut the edge of wood or metal at an angle to make it slanted

to cut others down
  • Offensive
7.0

To say things that make other people feel small

to cut up rough
  • Informal
9.8

Act in a violent or aggressive way and cause trouble

to cut slingload
  • Specialized
9.9

To drop a load hanging under a helicopter for safety

8.3

To cause large damage or change across a wide area quickly

5.7

Remove people or things that are unnecessary and slow progress

Ignore pointless talk and focus on the real problem

Make speech or writing clearer by removing complicated management language

Compounds

599 3.2

A government decision to reduce the taxes people have to pay

79 3.3

A decision by a government or organization to use less money

57 2.8

Less money given to a department or service in a budget

31 2.8

A reduction in the money a worker receives from their job

27 4.2

Easy to see and understand

25 3.4

A shape removed from paper or cloth with scissors

23 4.4

Separated by cutting from a larger thing

13 3.8

Having a neat, smart look and tidy clothes

low-cut
  • NSFW
10 3.5

Clothes with a low neckline or back that show more skin

final cut
  • Specialized
9 4.2

A finished and approved version of a film ready for release

Simple and clear because it follows fixed rules

7 3.0

A very short men's hairstyle with the hair kept very close to the head

6 2.7

A piece of meat taken from a certain part of an animal

rough cut
  • Specialized
5 4.8

An early edited version of a film before final changes

cut-up
  • Archaic
3 7.8

A person who acts silly to make others laugh

3 2.7

A plant or food cut very recently so it still looks and smells new

3 1.4

A fall in the amount you pay for something

2 3.4

A smaller amount of pay that a worker receives

2 5.3

A type of glass shaped with many flat, shiny sides for decoration

1 2.8

A piece of beef from one part of a cow used for cooking

1 4.1

Clear and simple, not likely to change

1 4.9

A short route through a neighborhood that saves time by avoiding busy roads

jump cut
  • Specialized
1 6.8

A sudden change between two film shots that makes action or time seem to skip

1 4.2

A short haircut with hair standing upright like a brush

1 2.5

A piece of meat from a pig sold for cooking, like loin or shoulder

1 3.3

A price lower than the usual one

cut-in
  • Specialized
1 7.7

A short shot shown in a scene to give a detail or reaction

cut-in
  • Specialized
1 7.2

A short announcement that interrupts a program to give local news or alerts

1 3.7

Offered at a lower price than usual, often with lower quality

deep cut
  • Jargon
1 8.4

A song on an album that is not a hit but loved by fans

1 2.7

A piece of meat that shops sell soon after they prepare it

A piece of meat from a lamb that you cook

A piece of meat from an adult sheep that people cook and eat

A piece of meat from a young calf for eating

2.0

A lower price than normal

cut-and-thrust
  • Specialized
9.7

A fight with swords or knives using cutting and stabbing moves

3.0

Sold at a lower price than usual

2.7

An event when shops sell goods at much lower prices for a short time to clear old stock

A piece of meat with a lot of fat

jump-cut
  • Specialized
7.6

A sudden cut between shots in a film that shows time passing or makes the action jump

rough-cut
  • Specialized
4.9

Shaped but not smoothed or fully finished

sword-cut
  • Archaic
8.1

A scar on the skin made by a sword

9.9

A low opening in clothing that shows the lower part of the breasts

3.7

Clothing made wider than usual to fit loosely

How Direct

to cut
  • Informal
343 2.8
to skirt
16 4.4
to detour
7 3.7

Surface Forms

cut infinitive
cut past
cut past participle
cutting present participle
cuts third person singular

Etymology

Cut meaning to move quickly through or across something is like 'slicing' through the longer route, so to cut across is to take a shorter way.