What does "cutting" mean?
The action of the verb to cut.
Cutting
/ˈkʌtɪŋ/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The action of the verb to cut.
- Grammar: cutting is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: clipping, press clipping, abbreviation, abscission.
- Useful contrasts: attach, blunt, bulking.
- Usage evidence: Banks are cutting lending to industrial borrowers.
How to use "cutting"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "cutting" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "cutting" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "cutting" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "cutting" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "cutting" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "clipping" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "cutting", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The action of the verb to cut. countable, uncountable
"How many different cuttings can this movie undergo?"
- 2 the act of shortening something by chopping off the ends wordnet
- 3 A section removed from a larger whole. countable
"[O]bſerving [...] abundance of Matter floating in the Urine like Bran, with a great Number of Recrements like Cuttings of Hair, ſome above an Inch long, which Subſtances were found in all the Water that I made in above Twelve Months; for which I could get no Remedy: I was adviſed to drink Water, which in about half a Year did intirely free me from thoſe Symptoms, [...]"
- 4 the act of diluting something wordnet
- 5 A section removed from a larger whole.; A newspaper clipping. countable
"Extract from "Newspaper Cuttings relating to Sussex," (Sussex Archaeological Collections, 1872, pp. 140, 141.)"
Show 14 more definitions
- 6 the act of cutting something into parts wordnet
- 7 A section removed from a larger whole.; A leaf, stem, branch, or root removed from a plant and cultivated to grow a new plant. countable
"To propagate by cuttings, is to cut off the branch or ſtem of a Plant, and to ſet it in the Earth without Roots. Strip it of leaves and branches, Plant deeper than theſe with Roots, and in a rich and moiſt ſoil, keeping it watered and ſhaded, Untill Rooted; cut off their Tops ſave Greens, as if your cutting be 12 Inches long, let 9 be under, and 3 above ground."
- 8 the act of penetrating or opening open with a sharp edge wordnet
- 9 An abridged selection of written work, often intended for performance. countable
"The actor had to make his cutting shorter to fit the audition time."
- 10 the division of a deck of cards before dealing wordnet
- 11 An open passage at a level lower than the surrounding terrain, dug for a canal, railway, or road to go through. UK, countable
"[T]he railway, however, will require a farther outlay to render it complete, though the locomotive engine has passed over every foot of ground from Liverpool to Salford. The slopes of the cuttings want dressing, and several of them want protecting with foot walls."
- 12 removing parts from hard material to create a desired pattern or shape wordnet
- 13 The editing of film or other recordings. uncountable
- 14 the activity of selecting the scenes to be shown and putting them together to create a film wordnet
- 15 The process of bringing metals to a desired shape by chipping away the unwanted material. uncountable
"Boring, drilling, milling, and turning are all different kinds of metal cutting processes."
- 16 an excerpt cut from a newspaper or magazine wordnet
- 17 The act of cutting one's own skin as a symptom of a mental disorder; self-harm. uncountable
"Cutting has become one of the most popular forms of self-injury, but there are others at well, and each is just as dangerous as cutting. The information here might help you recognize the signs of self-injury in others."
- 18 a piece cut off from the main part of something wordnet
- 19 a part (sometimes a root or leaf or bud) removed from a plant to propagate a new plant through rooting or grafting wordnet
Verb
- 1 present participle and gerund of cut form-of, gerund, participle, present
Adjective
- 1 That is used for cutting. not-comparable
"I need some sort of cutting utensil to get through this shrink wrap."
- 2 Piercing, sharp. not-comparable
"The weather was atrocious, with bitterly cold wind and cutting sleet—rather appropriate, considering Aunt Fonteyn's temperament."
- 3 Of criticism, remarks, etc.: (potentially) hurtful; curt. not-comparable
"The director gave the auditioning actors cutting criticism."
- 4 Of a beverage: half-sized. India, not-comparable
"a cutting chai"
- 5 Cutthroat; ruthlessly competitive. not-comparable, obsolete, slang
"[…] there are always some "free lances" who are ready to do a "cutting" trade, and thus become formidable competitors."
Adjective
- 1 painful as if caused by a sharp instrument wordnet
- 2 unpleasantly cold and damp wordnet
- 3 (of speech) harsh or hurtful in tone or character wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Banks are cutting lending to industrial borrowers."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "cutting"?
Common synonyms include: clipping, press clipping, abbreviation, abscission, accidence, acerb.
How do you use "cutting" in a sentence?
Banks are cutting lending to industrial borrowers.
How do you pronounce "cutting"?
Pronounced /ˈkʌtɪŋ/.
Etymology
From cut + -ing.