Cut phrasal verbs – 9 Common English Phrasal Verbs with Cut

Phrasal verbs are one of the knowledge areas you should not neglect if you want to score highly in exams as well as communicate in English effectively. In the article below, PREP has compiled some of the most common Cut phrasal verbs: cut in, cut down, cut back, cut out, etc. Let's learn the meanings and usage of these phrasal verbs together!

I. The compilation of English phrasal verbs with Cut

You should memorize phrasal verbs with Cut if you want effective communication or want to get high scores on English exams. Let's take out some Cut phrasal verbs together below!

1. Cut across

The first phrasal verb with Cut that we will explore together in this article is “cut across”. What is “cut across” and how is it used?

• Cut across: to go across something to make your route shorter. For example: If you cut across this field, it’ll save time.
• Cut across: to affect or be true for different groups that usually remain separate. For example: This law cuts across all social classes. 

2. Cut back

What is “cut back”? How is this phrasal verb used in English? Let’s check out the meaning and usage of this Cut phrasal verb with PREP!

• Cut back: to reduce something. For example: The government has announced plans to cut back on defense spending by 15 percent next year.
• Cut back: to make a bush, etc. smaller by cutting branches off. For example: My dad cut back a rose bush in the backyard.

3. Cut down

Besides cut across and cut back, cut down is also a common English phrasal verb. What is cut down? How is cut down used in context? Let's learn some common meanings of this phrasal verb with cut together with PREP:

• Cut down: to reduce the size, amount, or number of something. For example: I’m trying to cut down on caffeine.
• Cut down: to kill somebody. For example: A lot of soldiers were cut down by grenades as they stormed the airport.
• Cut down: to make something fall down by cutting it at the base. For example: They are cutting down forests to clear land for cattle.

4. Cut in

Cut in is the phrasal verb with cut not only commonly used in communication but also appears frequently in English exams. What is cut in? Here are the meanings and some examples of the phrasal verb cut in. Let's learn together:

• Cut in: to start working (machine). For example: If the computer starts to overheat, the fan cuts in.
• Cut in: to move suddenly in front of another vehicle, leaving little space between the two vehicles. For example: A motorbike cut in and nearly caused an accident.
• Cut in: to interrupt somebody when they are speaking. For example: I was just talking to Mary when Peter cut in on our conversation.
• Cut in: to give somebody a share of the profit in a business or an activity. For example: They had to cut the police in on the deal to avoid trouble. 

5. Cut it out

What is cut it out? This phrasal verb with cut means "stop it! (stop improper behavior)". To better understand how to use this phrasal verb, let's take a look at some example sentences together:

• Cut it out and keep quiet. 
• Cut it out, you two – I’m tired of listening to you arguing! 

6. Cut off

What is cut off? Depending on the context, this phrasal verb with cut has different meanings. Let's explore some common ways to use the phrasal verb cut off with PREP:

• Cut off: to stop the supply of something to somebody. For example: The WIFI’s been cut off because we didn’t pay the bill. 
• Cut off: to prevent somebody/something from leaving or reaching a place or communicating with people outside a place. For example: The heavy snow has blocked many roads and cut off a number of villages.

7. Cut out

Next, let's explore “cut out”. What is cut out and how is it used? This phrasal verb with cut has multiple different meanings depending on the context. Here are some common meanings of cut out:

• Cut out: to stop doing, using or eating something. For example: Since my heart attack, I’ve cut fatty foods out altogether. 
• Cut out: stop working (machine). For example: The motorbike cut out at the traffic lights just as they went green.
• Cut out: to remove something from something larger by cutting, usually with scissors. For example: Anna cut out Taylor Swift’s picture from the magazine. 
• Cut out: to not allow somebody to be involved in something. For example: My father cuts out three prime bulls from the herd. 
• Cut out: leave somewhere quickly. For example: They’d better cut out, the security men are on the way.

Please refer to the following article:

8. Cut through

The next phrasal verb that we are going to explore the meaning and usage is cut through:

• Cut through: to quickly solve a problem. For example: My dad was able to cut through the red tape and get his visa approved in just two days. 
• Cut through: to go through something in order to make your route shorter. For example: They cut through the park even though it was closed.
• Cut through: to make a path or passage through something by cutting. For example: The prisoners cut their way through the barbed wire and escaped. 

9. Cut up

What is “cut up”? How is this phrasal verb used? Please refer to the following examples for the meaning and application:

• Cut up: to divide something into smaller pieces with a knife, etc. For example: My mom cuts the chicken breast up into small pieces. 
• Cut up: to behave in a noisy and silly way. For example: There are a couple of kids who are always cutting up in class. 
• Cut up: ​to injure somebody badly by cutting or hitting them. For example: Linda was very badly cut up in the fight.
• Cut up: to upset somebody emotionally. For example: I was really cut up by his reaction. 

II. Exercises on Cut phrasal verbs with detailed answers

Please do the following exercise to reinforce the meaning and usage of phrasal verbs with Cut:

Exercise: Choose the correct answer:

1. You can ______ this whole paragraph without losing any of the impact.
   1. cut out
   2. cut down
   3. cut back
   4. cut up
2. He was very badly ______ in the fight.
   1. cut down
   2. cut in
   3. cut it on
   4. cut up
3. I won’t have a coffee, thanks—I’m trying to ______on caffeine.
   1. cut down
   2. cut through
   3. cut back
   4. cut off
4. Opinion on this issue ______ traditional political boundaries.
   1. cuts up
   2. cuts across
   3. cut off
   4. cut in
5. He ______ ahead of me in the grocery line.
   1. cut off
   2. cut it out
   3. cut in
   4. cut down on
6. We were ______ in the middle of our conversation.
   1. cut back
   2. cut off
   3. cut up
   4. cut through
7. Who’s drumming on the table? ______ – It’s distracting.
   1. Cut it out
   2. Cut down on
   3. Cut back on
   4. Cut through
8. I ______ the building site to the river.
   1. cut through
   2. cut across
   3. cut in
   4. cut off
9. If our sales keep falling, we’ll have to ______ production.
   1. cut through
   2. cut down
   3. cut across
   4. cut back
10. Doctors advised her to ______ the amount of saturated fats in her diet.
    1. cut down on
    2. cut through
    3. cut across
    4. cut in

Answer:

III. Master IELTS Like a Pro 

This article has provided a compilation of the most common phrasal verbs with Cut in English. If your goal is to achieve a Band 7 or higher, these IELTS resources are for you! 

• IELTS training online: Master Every Section of IELTS