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
b
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: shorts originally made from jeans with the legs cut off at the knees or higher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; cutting off; cuts off
1
: to bring to an untimely end
Each one of those names reflects a life that was prematurely cut off …—
John Kerry
John Kerry2
: to stop the passage of
cut off communications
4
: discontinue, terminate
cut off a subscription
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
: 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
Brett Knight, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
What is the Powerball cutoff time to buy tickets?
—Shelby Slade, AZCentral.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Sep. 2025
Tomato plants can be pulled from the garden soil or cut off at the soil level to allow the root system to slowly degrade in the soil.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cutoff
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Noun
However, the cutoff for the top ten is $47 million, in line with 2024’s and up 53% in just four years.
—Brett Knight, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
What is the Powerball cutoff time to buy tickets?
—Shelby Slade, AZCentral.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
Always cut off diseased fruits, veggies, and even flower blooms before winter and make sure to clean these clippings off the ground, too.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Sep. 2025
Tomato plants can be pulled from the garden soil or cut off at the soil level to allow the root system to slowly degrade in the soil.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cutoff
Cite this Entry
“Cutoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cutoff. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cutoff
1 of 2 noun
cut·off
ˈkət-ˌȯf 
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 verbˌkət-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
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