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
Julia Ranney, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
Are Department of Government Efficiency cutbacks in federal government employment, as well as among contractors and grantees, visible yet?
—Harry Holzer, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 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
Half their goals came from there, with a lethal mix of aerial deliveries and slick cutbacks.
—Julia Ranney, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
Are Department of Government Efficiency cutbacks in federal government employment, as well as among contractors and grantees, visible yet?
—Harry Holzer, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 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
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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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In March, grid operators in California shut down 80 gigawatt-hours of the state’s renewable power because the grid couldn’t handle the afternoon solar surge; without more capacity to store power, even larger curtailments will occur.—
David G. Victor,
Foreign Affairs,
13 June 2017
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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
Verb
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The House voted to scale back the city’s spending to 2024 levels in March, sparking a crisis as Bowser scrambled to find how to cut $1.1 billion.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
14 Apr. 2025
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The station also cut from its marketing department and others, resulting in a total 15% cut across the nonprofit.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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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 28 Apr. 2025.
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