cut
verb [ T ]
uk/kʌt/ uscutting | cut | cutto make something lower, smaller, shorter, etc.:
cut sth (from sth) (to sth) We have cut our wage bill from £12,000 to £8,000 per week.
cut sth (from sth) We need to cut 50% from our advertising budget.
cut sth (by sth) The manufacturing group aims to cut its carbon emissions by 20% over the next five years.
cut jobs/staff/the workforce Schmitz Chemicals plans to cut 20,000 jobs worldwide.
cut borrowing/costs/spending
cut output/production
See also
price-cutting
to remove something from a document, especially from a document on a computer screen:
The report is too long – I need to cut 500 words.
I'll cut and paste some photos from our online catalogue into my presentation.
cut a deal
to reach an agreement:
The carmaker has cut a deal with unions to limit pay rises.
cut both/two ways
to work in two ways, or to have two opposite effects:
Setting prices high cuts both ways – it could lose some customers, but it also suggests high-quality.
cut corners
to do something in a way that saves time or money, but that reduces quality:
If a restaurant cuts corners on ingredients, it will lose customers.
cut it informal
to successfully do what you are asked to do:
Some people work well under pressure; others can't cut it.
For heavy office use, this printer just doesn't cut it.
cut it/things fine informal
to leave very little, or not enough, time to do something:
It's two o'clock now, so you're cutting it fine if you need to be at the airport by three.
cut your losses
to avoid losing any more money than you have already lost:
The manufacturer has decided to cut its losses and sell its unprofitable divisions.
Phrasal verbs
cut back
cut down
cut into sth
cut sb off
cut
noun [ C ]
uk/kʌt/ usa reduction in the amount or level of something:
a 0.25% cut in interest rates
The supermarket is expected to make drastic job cuts to its 9,000-strong workforce.
big/deep/swingeing, etc. cuts There will need to be big cuts in public spending.
price/spending/tax, etc. cuts
job/pay/wage, etc. cuts
make/propose/threaten, etc. cuts The industry regulator announced that it is proposing price cuts of at least 7%.
informal
a share in an amount of money:
If you make a profit on the deal, I'll expect a cut.