1
as in to shave
to make (something) shorter or smaller with the use of a cutting instrument
we need to cut back the bushes a bit so that the house number is visible from the street
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to shorten
to make less in extent or duration
cut back the meeting so everyone could leave early for the long weekend
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in curtailed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in curtailment
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cut back
Shania Russell, EW.com, 19 Feb. 2025
Benioff and Zuckerberg ultimately did what investors wanted, cutting back on spending and laying off thousands to boost profit margins during a period of sluggish revenue growth.
—Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 18 Feb. 2025
Peter Debruge, Variety, 13 Feb. 2025
The El Modena and Taft branches are making the biggest cutbacks.
—Jonathan Horwitz, Orange County Register, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cut back
Verb
Pompeo stayed on as the show's primary narrator, but indeed cut back on her onscreen appearances, prompting an emotional sendoff for her iconic character, Meredith Grey.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 19 Feb. 2025
Benioff and Zuckerberg ultimately did what investors wanted, cutting back on spending and laying off thousands to boost profit margins during a period of sluggish revenue growth.
—Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 18 Feb. 2025
Noun
Now, practically everything moves in slow motion — including ominous cutbacks to a giant CG hourglass — as Tykwer introduces the Engels and their immigrant housekeeper Alia (Joyce Abu-Zeid).
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 13 Feb. 2025
The El Modena and Taft branches are making the biggest cutbacks.
—Jonathan Horwitz, Orange County Register, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cut back
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cut back
Verb
-
Did football culture, which at one time shaved penises into a rookie player’s head as a hazing ritual, need to change?—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
17 Feb. 2025
-
In this case, a clever player can easily shave off about half of Nikador's health pool, potentially a lot more.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
The Trump administration's cuts to health research will shorten life expectancy and threaten the lives of all Americans, according to university union leaders and scientists.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA TODAY,
21 Feb. 2025
-
Who Makes the Best of Things Image On Thursday, the United States was insisting that a standard-issue statement from the Group of 7 nations, drafted by Canada to mark the third anniversary of the invasion next Monday, should be drastically shortened.—
David E. Sanger,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
One source of savings is avoided 'curtailment' of wind farms on Maui, which already produce more power at times than the local grid can handle.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
6 Feb. 2015
-
The Venezuelans affected by the latest curtailment of TPS by the Department of Homeland Security affects those who became eligible for it in 2023.—
Suzanne Gamboa,
NBC News,
3 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
The University of Pennsylvania, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Southern California have also paused or cut their graduate admissions, at least temporarily.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
27 Feb. 2025
-
People will chew on the Broadway first of an Othello directed and lead-produced by black men—Leon and Brian Anthony Moreland, respectively—and cut their assumptions about that to fit their pre-existing views.—
Maya Singer,
Vogue,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
An abbreviated Season 7 will cap The Conners’ run at 112 episodes.—
Ryan Schwartz,
TVLine,
27 Dec. 2024
-
The first is one The Acolyte already tackled, albeit in an abbreviated way: What if the Jedi weren’t always virtuous, what if people with Force abilities aren’t so easily slotted into good or evil, and what if this society’s enshrinement of them is a massive cover-up?—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
3 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
That figure, according to the bureau, includes monetary compensation, principal reductions, canceled debts and other consumer relief.—
Susan Tompor,
USA TODAY,
18 Feb. 2025
-
As the political landscape shifts with a Trump-Musk administration, one of the most immediate and profound impacts will be a reduction in government waste.—
Joel Shulman,
Forbes,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Just clip them in, style them as needed, and voilà—instant cool-girl bangs with zero regrets.—
Allure,
Allure,
24 Feb. 2025
-
When a truck carrying Mr. Nasrallah’s coffin entered the stadium, the crowd erupted in shrieks and cries as the voice of the former Hezbollah leader — clipped from his speeches — echoed from speakers.—
Christina Goldbaum,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
That's the abridged version of the tricky nature of prosecuting a murder case without a body.—
Fox News,
Fox News,
17 Jan. 2023
-
On Friday, Burrows, R-Lubbock, made public his request to Uvalde District Attorney Christina Mitchell Busbee for an abridged video from a school hallway camera to be released.—
Dallas News,
Dallas News,
11 July 2022
Cite this Entry
“Cut back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cut%20back. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share