<p><strong>Verb:</strong></p><ul><li>(used with object) To penetrate with or as if with a sharp-edged instrument or object: He cut his finger.</li><li>To divide with or as if with a sharp-edged instrument; sever; carve: She cut the string and opened the package.</li><li>To detach with or as if with a sharp-edged instrument; separate from the main body; lop off: Cut me a slice from that loaf of bread.</li><li>To hew or saw down; fell: They were granted a permit to cut timber on that land.</li><li>To hollow out; excavate; dig: They cut a trench around his house.</li><li>To trim by clipping, shearing, paring, or pruning: I need to get my hair cut soon—it's so long now.</li><li>To mow; reap; harvest: Traditionally, grain was cut by hand with a sickle.</li><li>To abridge or shorten; edit by omitting a part or parts: I have to cut my speech to bring it under the time limit.</li><li>To repeatedly inflict injury on (oneself) by deliberately cutting the skin; to self-harm with a sharp-edged object.</li><li>To lower, reduce, diminish, or curtail (sometimes followed by down): The store promised to cut prices.</li><li>To dilute; make less thick: In ancient times, wine was often cut with water.</li><li>To dissolve: That detergent cuts grease effectively.</li><li>To intersect; cross: One line cuts another at right angles.</li><li>(Informal) To cease; discontinue (often followed by out): Cut the kidding. Let's cut out the pretense.</li><li>To stop; halt the running of, as a liquid or an engine (often followed by off): The pilot cut the engines and glided in for a landing. Cut off the hot water.</li><li>To dilute or adulterate (a drug) by mixing it with other substances.</li><li>To grow (a tooth or teeth) through the gum: The baby is cutting his teeth.</li><li>To type, write, or draw on (a stencil) for mimeographing.</li><li>To make or fashion by cutting, as a statue, jewel, or garment.</li><li>(Glassmaking) To produce a pattern (in glass) by grinding and polishing.</li><li>To refuse to recognize socially; shun ostentatiously: Her friends began to cut her as news of her misfortune spread.</li><li>To strike sharply, as with a whip.</li><li>To wound the feelings of severely: His criticism cut deep.</li><li>(Of the teeth) To grow through the gums.</li><li>(Computers) To remove (selected text, images, etc.) from a file to store in temporary memory until pasted elsewhere.</li><li>(Compare copy, paste).</li><li>(Cards) To divide (a pack of cards) at random into two or more parts, by removing cards from the top.</li><li>To take (a card) from a deck.</li><li>(To record a selection on (a vinyl record or tape); make a recording of).</li><li>To castrate; geld.</li><li>(Sports) To hit (a ball) with either the hand or some instrument so as to change its course and often to cause it to spin.</li><li>(Cricket) To strike and send off (a ball) in front of the batsman, and parallel to the wicket.</li><li>(Slang) To be a nonplaying dealer, manager, or supervisor of (a card game, crap game, or other gambling game) in return for a percentage of the money bet or sometimes for a fee.</li></ul><p><strong>Noun:</strong></p><ul><li>The act of cutting; a stroke or a blow, as with a knife, whip, etc.</li><li>The result of cutting, as an incision, wound, passage, or channel.</li><li>A piece cut off: a cut of a pie.</li><li>(Informal) A share, especially of earnings or profits: His agent's cut is 20 percent.</li><li>A haircut, often with a styling.</li><li>A reduction in price, salary, etc.</li><li>The manner or fashion in which anything is cut: the cut of a dress.</li><li>Style; manner; kind: We need a man of his cut in this firm.</li><li>A passage or course straight across or through: a cut through the woods.</li><li>An excision or omission of a part.</li><li>A part or quantity of text deleted or omitted.</li><li>A quantity cut, especially of lumber.</li><li>A refusal to recognize an acquaintance.</li><li>An act, speech, etc., that wounds the feelings.</li><li>An engraved plate or block of wood used for printing.</li><li>A printed picture or illustration.</li><li>An absence, as from a school class, at which attendance is required.</li><li>(Butchering) Part of an animal usually cut as one piece.</li><li>(Cards) A cutting of the cards.</li><li>(Sports) The act of cutting a ball.</li><li>The spin imparted.</li><li>(Fencing) A blow with the edge of the blade instead of the tip.</li><li>One of several pieces of straw, paper, etc., used in drawing lots.</li><li>(Movies, Television) The instantaneous or gradual transition from one shot or scene to another in an edited film.</li><li>An edited version of a film. (Compare rough cut, final cut).</li><li>An act or instance of editing a film.</li><li>An individual song, musical piece, or other similar material on a record or tape.</li><li>Any product of the fractional distillation of petroleum.</li><li>(Slang) A vest worn by motorcyclists, typically made of leather or sometimes denim, and often decorated with patches, insignias, etc.</li></ul><p><strong>Verb Phrase:</strong></p><ul><li>Also cut down on. To lessen; decrease: to cut down on between-meal snacks.</li><li>To strike and cause to fall: The first force to attempt an advance was swiftly cut down.</li><li>To destroy, kill, or disable: The hurricane cut down everything in its path.</li><li>To remodel, remake, or reduce in size, as a garment: She had her old coat cut down to fit her daughter.</li><li>To precede or go beyond considerations of; transcend: The new tax program cuts across party lines.</li><li>To intercept.</li><li>To interrupt.</li><li>To stop suddenly; discontinue.</li><li>To halt the operation of; turn off.</li><li>To shut off or shut out.</li><li>To disinherit.</li><li>To sever; separate.</li><li>To move or thrust oneself, a vehicle, etc., abruptly between others: A speeding car cut in and nearly caused an accident.</li><li>To interpose; interrupt: to cut in with a remark.</li><li>(Informal) To interrupt a dancing couple in order to dance with one of them.</li><li>To blend (shortening) into flour by means of a knife.</li><li>To omit; delete; excise.</li><li>To oust and replace a rival; supplant.</li><li>To part an animal from a herd.</li><li>To plan; arrange: He has his work cut out for him.</li><li>To move out of one's lane of traffic.</li><li>Also cut on out. (Slang) To leave suddenly.</li><li>(Informal) To refrain from; stop: to cut out smoking.</li><li>(Of an engine, machine, etc.) To stop running.</li><li>To cut into pieces or sections.</li><li>To lacerate; wound.</li><li>To distress mentally; injure.</li><li>(Informal) To play pranks; misbehave: They were scolded for cutting up in church.</li></ul>