to cut up
32
1.1
- phrasal verb
- /kʌt ʌp/
:
cortar en trozos
- He learned how to cut up the meat into smaller portions for the stew.
- cut up and share
But we are going to be cutting up a lime.
- But we are going to be cutting up a lime.
- I have some scissors and I'm going to cut up this viewer bag.
- So next I'm going to cut up some mushrooms.
- I will add some onions and I cut up carrots.
- And while that is going, I'm going to get my chicken cut up.
Examples
-
I'll cut up an apple for you right now.
-
My idea was that instead I would basically cut up a bunch of original art into panels.
Blog text (13) -
Step one is we cut up our DNA.
-
Maybe we should cut up some fruit first.
-
I could cut up an onion.
-
For the dogs, she cut up the rest of the ham.
Fiction book (1994) -
Or help those who have to cut up trees that smashed their homes and cars.
Blog text (12) -
Kate and I watched her as we cut up our chicken.
Fiction book (1993) -
So we are going to start with cutting up the mango.
-
I'm going to start cutting up some cucumbers and red onions for my salad.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To divide something using a sharp tool, often into pieces
513
1.3
To break something into two or more parts
203
1.0
To cut something into thin flat pieces with a knife
193
1.0
To cut something into pieces using a sharp tool like a knife or axe
112
2.6
To tear something into small thin pieces
89
2.3
To make something into smaller pieces using a knife or tool
66
2.7
Separate something into smaller pieces
56
1.9
To cut something into smaller pieces by sharp blows again and again with a knife or axe
53
1.5
Cut meat into slices for serving
47
2.6
To divide something into smaller parts
39
2.7
To rip something into small pieces
14
5.8
To divide something into parts to share between people
9
9.0
To divide something into parts, often breaking a company or country
9
1.5
To cut something into thin slices
8
4.2
To split something into smaller parts
8
2.8
To tear something into small pieces
8
5.4
Break something into many small parts or hurt someone very badly
1
3.2
To break something into smaller parts
To divide something into parts, for example by cutting it or by sharing it among people
Antonyms
How Small
Surface Forms
Morphology
cut + up
The meaning 'to cut, chop, or tear into smaller pieces' is directly derivable from 'cut' (to slice/separate) combined with the particle 'up', which commonly signals division, completion, or dispersal in phrasal verbs. This compositional pattern is frequent in English and mirrors intuitions in other languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would normally infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Cut up (sense 2) comes from the simple image of cutting something into smaller parts: you cut an item and it is broken 'up' into pieces. So, it means 'to chop or tear something into smaller pieces'.