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💰 To share profits 🚗 To move suddenly ✋ To interrupt 💃 To take a partner 🥧 To mix fat
to cut in

to cut in

6 3.5
Interrupt someone who is speaking or doing something
  • phrasal verb
  • /kʌt ɪn/
translation icon : interrumpir
  • "Before we go into what you're going to look like," cut in Roger, "I want more details about this deal you have in mind."
  • Mind if I cut in
  • Let me cut in
  • cut in for a second

Examples

Synonyms

to interrupt
vsto cut in
909 2.5

To stop someone speaking or an activity

takes a speaking turn in the middle of someone else talking
to cut off
vsto cut in
620 3.8

To stop something suddenly before it is finished

focuses on inserting into speech rather than ending it entirely
to barge in
vsto cut in
  • Informal
59 5.5

Enter a room or conversation suddenly and rudely without being invited

is often less physical and focuses on taking a speaking turn
to put in
vsto cut in
54 3.8

Interrupt a conversation to make a short comment or question

is more about cutting across ongoing speech without waiting
to chime in
vsto cut in
  • Informal
40 4.3

To make a short comment during a conversation

more often takes the speaking moment rather than waiting politely
to interject
vsto cut in
39 6.5

To say something quickly to interrupt someone

instead focuses on taking over the moment rather than brief insertion
to break in
vsto cut in
30 3.4

To interrupt a conversation or activity without being invited

is more about taking the conversational turn than physical intrusion
to burst in
vsto cut in
21 3.3

To enter a room suddenly and interrupt people

refers more narrowly to taking over someone's speaking moment
to butt in
vsto cut in
  • Informal
21 4.4

Interrupt someone who is speaking without being invited

can be less rude and simply take a turn mid speech
to burst in on
vsto cut in
3 5.2

Go into a room or conversation suddenly and interrupt people

is about stepping into the conversation specifically rather than entering space
to bring up short
vsto cut in
1 7.4

Stop someone suddenly, often during speech or action

instead describes taking the speaking turn rather than fully halting speech
to chisel in
vsto cut in
  • Informal
7.7

Interrupt someone who is speaking by joining their conversation without waiting

is similar but may be less abrupt and more about speaking turn
to overspeak
vsto cut in
7.2

To speak at the same time as someone, cutting them off and making them hard to hear

may simply take a turn mid speech without trying to drown out others

Antonyms

to listen
∞ 1.0

Pay attention to sounds or speech to hear and understand them

to allow
∞ 1.0

To let something happen or let someone do something

How Interruptive

to barge in
  • Informal
59 5.5
to butt in
  • Informal
21 4.4
to cut in
6 3.5
to interrupt
909 2.5
to interject
39 6.5

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

cut + in

The vehicle sense is partially derivable: 'in' signals movement into space and 'cut' can be metaphorically extended to mean a sharp intrusion, so a learner might guess an insertion into another lane. However, the specific traffic-related consequence (leaving too little space) and the conventionalized abruptness of the maneuver are not fully predictable from the literal words, so prior exposure is typically needed.

Etymology

Cut in comes from the image of someone suddenly slicing into another person's speech, like cutting into a sentence and breaking its flow, so it means 'to interrupt'.