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Glite Dictionary
to cut to

to cut to

88 5.1
Move suddenly from one scene to another in a film or TV show
  • phrasal verb
  • /kʌt tu/
  • Jargon
translation icon : cortar a
  • Why don't you just cut to the part where, you know, he started fooling around?
  • the camera cuts to
  • then cuts to

At the end of the movie, they cut to Peter Sellers doing.

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Examples

  • If your time is running out and you have too much content left, cut to the chase.

    Blog text (9)

  • I didn't plan this far in advance so we'll cut to the next scene.

    LOL Podcast

  • We're going to cut to another shot.

  • We would show just parts of them and then cut to other stuff.

    Blog text (30)

  • Cut to the next scene.

    And Now for Something Completely Different (1971)

  • The scene then cuts to the angry Princess Iron Fan.

    Academic text (2012)

  • Cut to commercial before the big reveal.

    Stillwater (2021)

  • Then the camera cuts to the hunk waiting on the bike.

    Academic text (2014)

  • Two-thirds of the time they were cheering because CNN had cut to a shot of the hall.

    Blog text (18)

  • The director decided to cut to a different location for the next scene.

Synonyms

to cut away
vsto cut to
  • Jargon
3 6.8

To switch quickly to another scene or camera angle during filming

is a sudden jump directly between scenes rather than an angle change

Antonyms

to linger
207 3.7

To stay in a place longer than expected because you do not want to leave

to drag out
  • Informal
23 5.1

Make something last longer than needed, causing boredom or frustration

How Abrupt

jump cut
  • Specialized
1 6.8
to cut to
  • Jargon
88 5.1
dissolve
  • Specialized
4 6.6
to fade
531 1.2

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

cut + to

The editing sense is a metaphorical extension of 'cut' (to interrupt/sever) with 'to' indicating movement toward the next scene, so there is a recognizable link to the constituent meanings. However, this is specialized film/TV jargon and the specific sense of switching scenes is not fully predictable for a B1 learner without prior exposure, making it only partially transparent.

Etymology

Cut to comes from old film making, when editors would cut the film and join the next shot so the picture jumps to a different scene. That's why cut to now means 'to move suddenly from one scene to another'.