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

Being down two percent in a cord-cutting and cord-never world is a blip. —Richard Deitsch, The Athletic, 14 Jan. 2025

Like other pay-TV operators, Altice has struggled with cord-cutting and has articulated a view about the video business being less essential than it has historically been given growth in its broadband and wireless operations. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 10 Jan. 2025

The industry backdrop also has traditional linear broadcasters facing declining TV audiences amid cord-cutting and cord nevers. —Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Jan. 2025

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

Word History

First Known Use

1999, in the meaning defined above