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
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Recent Examples of cut back
Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 13 Mar. 2025
Businesses typically cut back on spending and investment, scale down hiring and lay off workers, setting off a ripple effect that impacts jobs, wages, consumer spending and access to credit.
—Mike Winters, CNBC, 12 Mar. 2025
David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 1 Apr. 2025
Without fresh faces, cutbacks in staff and programming could become inevitable.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cut back
Verb
Simply cut back spent flowers and to the base.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 13 Mar. 2025
Businesses typically cut back on spending and investment, scale down hiring and lay off workers, setting off a ripple effect that impacts jobs, wages, consumer spending and access to credit.
—Mike Winters, CNBC, 12 Mar. 2025
Noun
Some experts have floated the idea that because of staff cutbacks, taxpayers who report income incorrectly, or not at all, won’t be caught as quickly, if at all.
—David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 1 Apr. 2025
Without fresh faces, cutbacks in staff and programming could become inevitable.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cut back
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cut back
Verb
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Tommaso Ciampa has recently undergone a noticeable change in appearance by shaving off his trademark beard.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Apr. 2025
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With cord-cutting continuing to shave the traditional pay-TV bundle by millions of subscribers a year, however, FAST has become an increasingly vibrant part of the TV ecosystem.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Why the wrong spot can shorten the shelf life of your eggs.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
19 Apr. 2025
-
In the 2000s, several countries shortened the tenure of their central banks’ governors to four or five years.—
Ana Carolina Garriga,
The Conversation,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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According to the National Grid ESO, curtailment of wind power alone cost British consumers over £800 million in 2023, as renewable generators were paid to shut down during periods of oversupply, with the tab being picked up by households.—
Susie Violet Ward,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
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That’s why even just the Trump administration’s first strike against its targets—a mass curtailment of science-research funding—could end up being felt by students right away.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
30 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Those scenes were ultimately cut for space before the show ever started production, so Mazin resurrected the idea for Season 2.—
Adam B. Vary,
Variety,
14 Apr. 2025
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While this page supports the goal of cutting red tape and saving tax dollars, every American should be aware that the CFPB, now sidelined, has recovered over $20 billion in financial relief for U.S. consumers since Congress launched it after the 2008 market crash.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Tampa Bay’s first two Cup Final runs in that stretch came in abbreviated seasons.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
18 Apr. 2025
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But with 10 games left in the season, this new chapter has a chance to be more abbreviated than its potential.—
Danny Emerman,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Such reductions would likely require cuts to Medicaid, the joint federal-state health care plan for low-income residents, but exactly how those cuts would be implementedhas yet to be decided.—
Danielle J. Brown,
Baltimore Sun,
18 Apr. 2025
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Obviously, income reductions aren't advisable but can come with an income-tax silver lining.—
Russ Wiles,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Two American Airlines planes clipped wings at Reagan National Airport, the FAA said.—
7News WJLA (Washington),
Baltimore Sun,
10 Apr. 2025
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Washington — Several members of Congress were on a plane that was sitting on the tarmac waiting to leave Washington on Thursday when it was clipped by another aircraft.—
Kathryn Krupnik,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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That's the abridged version of the tricky nature of prosecuting a murder case without a body.—
Fox News,
Fox News,
17 Jan. 2023
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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 25 Apr. 2025.
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