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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of cut back
Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Jan. 2025
With inflation hitting 300 percent in April, locals cut back at the grocery store and the butcher shop, The Washington Post noted.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 2 Jan. 2025
Todd Spangler, Variety, 11 Dec. 2024
Likewise, Medicaid will in all likelihood face budgetary cutbacks and efforts to erect barriers to eligibility that could downsize the program.
—Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cut back 
Verb
Both fertilizing and watering can be cut back during winter.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Jan. 2025
With inflation hitting 300 percent in April, locals cut back at the grocery store and the butcher shop, The Washington Post noted.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 2 Jan. 2025
Noun
The cutbacks are part of efforts to slash $500 million in annual costs.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 11 Dec. 2024
Likewise, Medicaid will in all likelihood face budgetary cutbacks and efforts to erect barriers to eligibility that could downsize the program.
—Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cut back
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cut back
Verb
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The first clip the star shared was of his hair being partially shaved off from behind, then a video of the front of his forehead with a new, marked line indicating where the transplant would be.Bailey Richards, People.com, 12 Jan. 2025
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The Biden administration offered 400,000 acres after shaving off one million acres from the original boundaries to avoid areas crucial to the polar bear and Porcupine caribou populations.Lisa Friedman, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
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While many top 10 hits give the listener more chorus as a song progresses, the ‘Blinding Lights’ creators actually shorten the chorus as the song progresses.Gary Trust, Billboard, 10 Jan. 2025
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The state is also working on streamlining paperwork for transfers and shortening transition timelines.A.D. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2025
Noun
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While renewable energy curtailment has been on the rise, it's largely driven by insufficient transmission to deliver power, not oversupply, and isn't necessarily a sign of a big problem.Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024
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By encouraging the use of surplus energy, this legislation could position bitcoin mining as a key player in addressing overproduction and curtailment issues.Susie Violet Ward, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Averaging 20 points per game in December was not cutting it.Jon Krawczynski, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
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Countries that have signed onto the Paris agreement are supposed to update their national climate plans this year, and the Biden administration submitted a more ambitious plan last month of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by more than 60 percent by 2035.Justine Calma, The Verge, 10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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An abbreviated Season 7 will cap The Conners’ run at 112 episodes.Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 27 Dec. 2024
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The first is one The Acolyte already tackled, albeit in an abbreviated way: What if the Jedi weren’t always virtuous, what if people with Force abilities aren’t so easily slotted into good or evil, and what if this society’s enshrinement of them is a massive cover-up?Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 3 Dec. 2024
Noun
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But the wildfires in L.A. have lent a new sense of urgency to efforts by the firefighter union, to argue that any reductions at the department could pose disastrous consequences.Shomik Mukherjee, The Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2025
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With only three of four tubes available for the next few years, there will be a 25% reduction in Penn Station access and capacity.Larry Penner, New York Daily News, 12 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Pulse oximeters clip on to a person’s finger and use two wavelengths of light sent into the skin to quickly estimate how much oxygen is flowing through the blood based on how much light is absorbed.Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 6 Jan. 2025
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Watch on Deadline Honoree Magic Johnson towered over Biden, and lowered down on his knees so the president could clip the medal around his neck.Ted Johnson, Deadline, 4 Jan. 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
Thesaurus Entries Near cut back
Cite this Entry
“Cut back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cut%20back. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
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