cut down

verb

cut down; cutting down; cuts down

transitive verb

1

a

: to strike down and kill or incapacitate

b

: knock down

2

a

: to remodel by removing extras or unwanted furnishings and fittings

b

: to remake in a smaller size

intransitive verb

: to reduce or curtail volume or activity

cut down on smoking

Phrases

cut down to size

: to reduce from an inflated or exaggerated importance to true or suitable stature

Examples of cut down in a Sentence

we need to cut down that dying tree

Recent Examples on the Web

When it’s proposed by someone else in the entourage that perhaps Kathy cut down the runtime or reconceive the format, Griffin’s publicist suggests this maybe isn’t the ideal discussion to have in front of a journalist. —Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Sep. 2024

Almost anyone that’s played Dungeons & Dragons has a story about a beloved character cut down before their prime. —Rob Wieland, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024

The label has also become a go-to for jeans created using renewable energy and air-drying techniques that cut down on CO2 emissions. —Alexis Bennett Parker, Vogue, 7 Sep. 2024

Teachers are already switching to in-class essay requirements and other approaches to cut down on student cheating. —Kelsey Piper, Vox, 7 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1571, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

cut down

verb

1

: to knock down and kill or wound

2

: to make over in a smaller size

3

: to reduce something in amount

cut down on energy use

Medical Definition

cutdown

noun

cut·​down ˈkət-ˌdau̇n 

: incision of a superficial blood vessel (as a vein) to facilitate insertion of a catheter (as for administration of fluids)