cord-cutting

noun

cord-cut·​ting ˈkȯrd-ˌkə-tiŋ 

variants or less commonly cord cutting

: the act or process of canceling a subscription to cable television or to a landline telephone service

As cable news begins to feel the squeeze from cord-cutting, arch-rivals Fox News and CNN are stepping up efforts to adapt to the trend that poses a long-term threat to their businesses.

—Stephen Battaglio

Although broadband rates don't appear to be rising substantially as a whole, there's a chance that cord cutting could someday lead providers to increase monthly Internet bills to mitigate the loss of cable customers, according to a MoffettNathanson report.

—Makeda Easter

The majority of Americans … now rely solely on wireless telephones. That watershed cord-cutting moment was reached in the last half of 2016, according to the federal government.

—Jan Cottingham

Examples of cord-cutting in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Expect cord-cutting, already whacking subscription rates 12 percent in 2024’s first three quarters to less than 50 million U.S. households, to accelerate. —David Bloom, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024

But with that glimmer of deals in the eyes of the CEOs comes a cold hard reality: Thanks to cord-cutting, the assets in their portfolios, the cards in their hand, are losing value every day. —Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Dec. 2024

That in theory could help slow down cord-cutting while also driving viewership of Disney’s streaming platforms. —Josef Adalian, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2024

The initial promise of cord-cutting was a cheaper bill, but streaming prices are increasingly rivaling cable. Driving the news: YouTube TV, the live-TV streaming bundle, will raise prices by $10 a month starting in January, bringing it up to $82.99. —Tim Baysinger, Axios, 12 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1999, in the meaning defined above