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spending cut

spending cut

79 3.3
A decision by a government or organization to use less money
  • noun
translation icon : recorte del gasto
  • The government announced a series of spending cuts to reduce the national deficit.
  • public spending cuts
  • big spending cuts
  • tax and spending cuts

But the President Obama couldn't shut the government down to stop a teeny spending cut that he'd endorsed.

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Examples

  • Most current-year budget problems are being addressed with spending cuts and tax hikes.

    Blog text (6)
  • For perspective, the spending cuts are $136 billion for 2013, 0.8% of GDP.

    Blog text (3)
  • While the tax increases were real, Congress never delivered on the spending cuts.

    Academic text (2011)
  • To pass his budget plan in August, the President had to promise further spending cuts from the fiscal 1994 budget.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Four years of pain, tax rises and spending cuts and the public finance will be sorted.

  • Democrats indicated that some spending cuts would be fine with them.

    Blog text (1)
  • Indeed, the magnitude of the tax increases and spending cuts required makes such a voluntary deal unlikely.

    Academic text (2010)
  • Budget items denominated in foreign currency became prime targets of spending cuts.

    Academic text (2001)
  • Contrary to what you may have heard, spending cuts have largely been lacking in Europe's economic crisis response.

    Blog text (5)
  • The most obvious impact is that it contributes to larger federal government budget deficits, forcing either spending cuts or tax increases.

    Academic text (2017)

Synonyms

austerity
vsspending cut
  • Literature
97 7.4

Government policy of cutting public spending and services to reduce debt

is a single act of lowering money rather than a long policy or period
budget cut
vsspending cut
57 2.8

Less money given to a department or service in a budget

is the general term for reducing an organization's expenditures
cutback
vsspending cut
52 3.7

A smaller amount of money or resources that an organization uses to lower costs

is focused specifically on lowering the amount of money used by organisations
sequestration
vsspending cut
  • Formal
26 8.9

Automatic cuts to public spending when budget goals are not met

is a general reduction not necessarily automatic or legally triggered
austerity measure
vsspending cut
  • Formal
15 7.0

A government action that cuts public spending or raises taxes to reduce debt

is a broader term for reducing money rather than a named policy action
cost cutting
vsspending cut
14 3.0

Steps a company takes to spend less money

is a simple reduction in how much money is used, not the method
retrenchment
vsspending cut
  • Formal
2 8.1

A cut in spending by a business or government to save money

is a plain reduction without the specific goal of restoring stability

How Restrictive

austerity
  • Literature
97 7.4
retrenchment
  • Formal
2 8.1
spending cut
79 3.3
stimulus
289 4.5

Surface Forms

spending cut singular
spending cuts plural

Morphology

spending + cut

The meaning 'a reduction in the amount of money spent' is directly and compositionally derived from 'spending' (the act of paying) plus 'cut' (a reduction). This noun+noun compound follows a common and cross-linguistically transparent pattern (e.g., ‘budget cut’, equivalents in many languages), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Spending cut comes from the picture of someone using scissors on a budget, cutting out items so less money is used. That's why it means 'a reduction in the amount of money spent'.