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

Opponents adjusted and cut down on big plays as the 2024 season went along. —Mike Defabo, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025

The injured tree must be cut down to retrieve the agarwood, which is extracted from the trunk and the root. —Sable Yong, Allure, 17 Jan. 2025

And then at night is cut down like felt like upper 50s is pretty chilly. —Outside Online, 16 Jan. 2025

Testing out the ability of the Raptor engines to fly multiple missions is key for SpaceX: The company intends to reuse every portion of the Starship system in order to drive down costs as well as cut down on the time between missions. —Jackie Wattles, CNN, 15 Jan. 2025

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)