cutoff

1 of 2

noun

cut·​off ˈkət-ˌȯf How to pronounce cutoff (audio)
1
: the act or action of cutting off
2
a
: the new and relatively short channel formed when a stream cuts through the neck of an oxbow
c
: a channel made to straighten a stream
3
: a device for cutting off
4
a
: something cut off
b
cutoffs plural : shorts originally made from jeans with the legs cut off at the knees or higher
5
: the point, date, or period for a cutoff
cutoff adjective

cut off

2 of 2

verb

cut off; cutting off; cuts off

transitive verb

1
: to bring to an untimely end
Each one of those names reflects a life that was prematurely cut offJohn Kerry
2
: to stop the passage of
cut off communications
3
: shut off, bar
the river cut off their retreat
4
: discontinue, terminate
cut off a subscription
5
: separate, isolate
cut herself off from her family
6
a
: disinherit
threatened to cut him off without a penny
b
: to refuse to serve (someone) more alcohol
The bartender cut them off.
7
a
: to stop the operation of : turn off
cut off the engine
b
: to stop or interrupt while in communication
the operator cut me off

intransitive verb

: to cease operating

Examples of cutoff in a Sentence

Noun a cutoff of the water supply The cutoff for new applications is next Wednesday. Verb the majority party cut off debate and forced a vote on the bill the dog cut off the one sheep that had to be sheared
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The cutoff was delayed until March 1, but today Ms. Poltoratska is still holding her breath, unsure if new rules that would continue payments to the most vulnerable people will include her family. Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Mar. 2024 Ezzati said that using the same BMI cutoffs allowed the researchers to easily compare across different populations and BMI was the best measurement that could be analyzed using available data. Elaine Chen Reprints, STAT, 29 Feb. 2024 The consequences of a cutoff would thus start to accumulate quickly. Hal Brands, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2024 The better approach, in line with reforms approved by Congress in December 2022, is a framework that allows presidents to waive such cutoffs on national security grounds—but forces them to acknowledge and justify that choice. Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 One past winner took a cutoff plastic one-gallon milk jug into the shower. Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2024 As soon as the House returns, budgetary pressures and timing will become the priority as law makers strive to meet early March deadlines for a federal spending cutoff. Andy J. Semotiuk, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 Nor will a cutoff of Ukraine aid result in more aid for the southern border or for poor U.S. communities — another falsehood spread by the bill’s opponents. Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2024 Russia's cutoff sent gas prices rising sharply, surging inflation to record highs and helping drive a cost-of-living crisis. David McHugh and Matthew Daly, Quartz, 7 Feb. 2024
Verb
Biden, in an interview with MSNBC, had urged Netanyahu to curb the death toll of civilians in Gaza but asserted that the U.S. has no plans to cut off the supply of weapons to the Israeli military. John Bacon, USA TODAY, 10 Mar. 2024 The most conservative members of the government want to cut off access to al-Aqsa for most Palestinians as long as more than 100 Israelis continue to be held hostage in Gaza. Sufian Taha, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024 The judge listed several factors that led to his decision, including the fact that Diego had cut off his ankle monitor following his release from U.S. immigration custody and later had been able to obtain or provide false documents. Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 8 Mar. 2024 Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers have called for the Biden administration to completely cut off Huawei and SMIC’s access to U.S. technology. Cagan Koc, Fortune Asia, 8 Mar. 2024 Just one day after Meta’s network went offline for a while, LinkedIn was inaccessible around the world, cutting off job listings, resumes, and even influencers. Richard Lawler, The Verge, 6 Mar. 2024 Compounding the impact, thousands of organizations cut off Change Health from their systems to ensure the hackers did not infect their networks as well. Democrat-Gazette Staff and Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 2 Mar. 2024 But the authorities — who plan to issue a record 165,000 temporary work visas this year — have also scaled back some services, for instance cutting off funding for nine migrant support centers. Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024 In Spain on Tuesday, farmers cut off traffic on highways in northeast Catalonia, on the border with France. Vanessa Gera, Quartz, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cutoff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1741, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1565, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cutoff was in 1565

Dictionary Entries Near cutoff

Cite this Entry

“Cutoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cutoff. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

cutoff

1 of 2 noun
cut·​off ˈkət-ˌȯf How to pronounce cutoff (audio)
1
a
: the action of cutting off
b
: the point or date that cutting off occurs
2
: a device for cutting off
3
plural : shorts made from jeans with the legs cut off short
cutoff adjective

cut off

2 of 2 verb
ˌkət-ˈȯf
1
: to stop the flow or movement of
cut off a supply
2
: isolate
cut off from the world
3
: discontinue sense 2
they cut off relations with us
4
: to stop from talking
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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