cutback

1 of 2

noun

cut·​back ˈkət-ˌbak 

1

: something cut back

2

: reduction

a cutback in funding

cut back

2 of 2

verb

cut back; cutting back; cuts back

transitive verb

: to shorten by cutting : prune

intransitive verb

1

: to interrupt the sequence of a plot (as of a movie) by introducing events prior to those last presented

2

: cut down

cut back on sugar

Synonyms

Verb

• bob
• clip
• crop
• cut
• dock
• lop (off)
• nip
• pare
• poll
• prune
• shave
• shear
• snip
• trim

Examples of cutback in a Sentence

Verb

we need to cut back the bushes a bit so that the house number is visible from the street

cut back the meeting so everyone could leave early for the long weekend

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Peter Chin-Hong, MD, an infectious-disease specialist and a professor of medicine at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, suggests that cutbacks in public health funding in recent years may have played a role. —Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 29 Jan. 2025

No one knows how much that will be for the one that starts May 1, which has some worrying about cutbacks. —Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 23 Jan. 2025

Verb

The company is cutting back on taste-making street teams across 12 cities globally, and leaning on Air Jordan and Dunk nostalgia. —Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 23 Jan. 2025

The camera then cuts back to Jost in the studio with his head in his hands. —EW.com, 21 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1897, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1871, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

cutback

1 of 2 noun

cut·​back ˈkət-ˌbak 

: an act or instance of cutting something back

cut back

2 of 2 verb

ˈkət-ˈbak

1

a

: prune entry 2 sense 2

b

: prune entry 2 sense 2a

2

: to reduce something in amount

cut back on smoking