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Glite Dictionary
✂️ To remove 🛑 To stop working 🚧 To block 🧩 Removed shape
to cut out

to cut out

45 4.1
To stop working suddenly
  • phrasal verb
  • /kʌt aʊt/
translation icon : dejar de funcionar
  • The engine cuts out and the ski-boat drifts, a hundred feet from Tom.

Examples

  • Main engine cut out on schedule.

    Armageddon (1998)

  • And it kept just actually completely cutting out pretty much the whole time.

  • Would the crystal cause it to cut out after so many seconds?

  • The gas is dirty; these jitneys get in the mountains, and their engines cut out.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • My engine's cut out!

    Hot Shots! (1991)

  • Suddenly, the music stopped and the radio cut out completely.

  • While driving on the highway, my car cut out without any warning.

  • The power cut out during the storm, leaving us in darkness.

Synonyms

to cut off
vsto cut out
620 3.8

To stop something suddenly before it is finished

means a device stops on its own suddenly rather than external interruption
to die
vsto cut out
498 4.6

To stop working, often suddenly

denotes sudden stoppage that need not be permanent
to fail
vsto cut out
370 2.2

Stop working properly, as a machine or part

specifies a sudden unexpected stop rather than a general failure
to break down
vsto cut out
194 3.2

To stop working because of a problem

focuses on an abrupt sudden stop rather than slow deterioration
to crash
vsto cut out
  • Specialized
156 3.2

To stop working suddenly, especially for a computer or program

is a sudden, unexpected halt rather than a slow failure
to go off
vsto cut out
  • UK
42 2.5

Stop working or lose power, for example lights

is the sudden internal stoppage sense rather than planned disconnection
to stall
vsto cut out
36 3.9

To stop running suddenly, often because of a fault

is a sudden stop across devices rather than being specific to engines
to go bad
vsto cut out
  • US
33 3.5

Stop working and need repair

refers to an abrupt stop rather than gradual damage over time
to burn out
vsto cut out
24 4.7

Stop working, especially things like lights or fuses, because they get too hot from too much use

means a sudden stop without requiring heat or overuse as cause
to crap out
vsto cut out
  • Offensive
13 9.6

To stop working or trying suddenly

is the neutral sudden stop sense rather than the informal tone
to conk out
vsto cut out
  • Informal
7 8.1

To stop working suddenly or to fall asleep because of tiredness

is about a sudden stoppage rather than a sleepy or gradual end
to fritz
vsto cut out
  • Informal
1 8.0

To stop working properly, often about machines

signals an abrupt complete stop rather than partial poor functioning
to go kablooie
vsto cut out
  • Slang
9.9

To suddenly break or stop working in a dramatic way

describes a sudden stop without implying explosion or dramatic damage

Antonyms

to start up
38 3.0

To make a machine or system begin to work

How Broken

to break down
194 3.2
to fail
370 2.2
to cut out
45 4.1
malfunction
96 4.5
to stall
36 3.9
to glitch
  • Specialized
3 5.8

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

cut + out

The adjective 'cut out' is directly and transparently composed from 'cut' (to remove by cutting) + 'out' (indicating removal/separation), so it denotes something removed or formed by cutting from a larger surface. This compositional pattern (e.g., 'cut-out design') is common in English and cross-linguistically intuitive, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Cut out for a machine stopping may come from the simple image of a wire or fuel being cut so the power goes out, leaving the machine without energy. So, the phrase came to mean 'to stop working suddenly'.