INDEX:
1. with scissors, a knife, or a sharp object
2. to cut food
3. to cut part of your body, especially accidentally
4. when a doctor or scientist makes a cut in someone’s body
5. to cut someone’s hair, beard, or fingernails
6. to cut wood, plants, or grass
7. to remove something by cutting
8. to make a shape by cutting
RELATED WORDS
to reduce a price or amount : ↑ REDUCE
see also
↑ SHARP
↑ PIECE
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1. with scissors, a knife, or a sharp object
▷ cut /kʌt/ [transitive verb]
to divide something into two or more pieces, using a knife or scissors :
▪ He cut the string and carefully unwrapped the parcel.
cut something in two/cut something in half
▪ Mandy cut the paper in half and gave a piece to each child.
cut something up/cut up something
into several pieces
▪ Tommy sat on the floor, cutting up old magazines.
cut something open/cut open something
▪ Rescue workers had to use special equipment to cut open the steel doors.
▷ snip /snɪp/ [transitive verb]
to cut something with scissors using quick small cuts :
▪ She snipped the thread which held the two pieces of cloth together .
▷ slit /slɪt/ [transitive verb]
to make a long narrow cut through something, especially skin or cloth :
▪ He killed the goat by slitting its throat.
slit something open/slit open something
▪ Diane slit the envelope open with a knife.
slit your wrists
▪ Graham slit his wrists in a suicide attempt.
▷ slash /slæʃ/ [transitive verb]
to cut something quickly and violently with a knife, because you want to damage it or cause an injury :
▪ The painting had been slashed with a knife.
▪ Someone had slashed the tyres on Bayle’s car.
slash your wrists
:
▪ She slashed her wrists with a razor blade.
▷ stab /stæb/ [transitive verb]
to push a knife into someone’s body in order to kill or seriously injure them :
▪ Betty Carroll was stabbed 61 times and left to die on the floor of her Escondido home.
stab somebody in the heart/arm etc
:
▪ Luca stabbed her in the thigh with a breadknife.
stab somebody to death
kill someone by attacking them a knife :
▪ Kitty Davison was found stabbed to death one night in 1997.
▷ hack /hæk/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to cut something very roughly or violently
hack at something
:
▪ He picked up an axe and began hacking at the door.
hack somebody to death
:
▪ All of the victims had been hacked to death.
hack somebody/something to pieces
:
▪ The two women were hacked to pieces by their attackers.
2. to cut food
▷ cut /kʌt/ [transitive verb]
▪ Do you want me to cut the cake?
cut something into pieces/chunks
:
▪ Cut the fish into four pieces and serve hot or warm.
▷ chop/chop up /tʃɒp, ˌtʃɒp ˈʌpǁˌtʃɑːp-/ [transitive verb/transitive phrasal verb]
to cut something such as vegetables or meat into small pieces when you are preparing a meal :
▪ Chop two onions for the stew.
▪ Elsa was in the kitchen chopping up vegetables.
chop something into pieces/chunks/cubes
▪ Could you chop the eggplant into cubes for me?
chopped [adjective only before noun]
▪ Next, sprinkle some chopped walnuts on the salad.
▷ slice /slaɪs/ [transitive verb]
to cut food such as bread, meat, or vegetables into thin flat pieces :
▪ Wash and slice the mushrooms.
sliced [adjective only before noun]
▪ sliced white bread
▷ carve /kɑːʳv/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to cut a large piece of cooked meat into pieces :
▪ You start carving while I fetch the vegetables.
▪ Who’s going to carve the turkey?
▷ mince British /grind American /mɪns, graɪnd/ [transitive verb]
to cut raw meat into very small pieces, usually in a machine :
▪ Mince the meat and mix in the remaining ingredients.
minced/ground /mɪnst, graʊnd/ [adjective only before noun]
▪ minced beef
▷ grate /greɪt/ [transitive verb]
to cut cheese or vegetables into small thin pieces by rubbing them against a metal surface with holes in it :
▪ I always like to grate some cheese over the potatoes before serving them.
grated [adjective only before noun]
▪ grated orange peel
▷ shred /ʃred/ [transitive verb]
to cut food, especially vegetables with leaves, into long thin pieces :
▪ Remove the outside leaves and shred the cabbage finely.
shredded []
▪ a salad consisting of a few bits of shredded lettuce
▷ dice /daɪs/ [transitive verb]
to cut food, especially raw vegetables, into small square pieces :
▪ Dice the potatoes and cook them in salted water.
diced [adjective only before noun]
▪ Melt three tablespoons of butter in a saucepan and add the diced vegetables.
3. to cut part of your body, especially accidentally
▷ cut /kʌt/ [transitive verb]
▪ She cut her hand trying to open a can of sardines.
cut something on something
▪ One of the children had cut her foot on some glass.
cut yourself shaving
▪ Phil cut himself shaving this morning.
cut [countable noun]
▪ Several passengers were treated for cuts and bruises.
▷ scratch /skrætʃ/ [transitive verb]
to cut part of your body very slightly leaving a long very thin cut :
▪ The cat scratched me while I was playing with her.
▪ She found her friend, Felicia Moon, bruised and scratched after a fight with her husband.
scratch [countable noun]
a slight cut that is not at all deep :
▪ His face was covered in scratches.
▪ It’s just a scratch - nothing serious.
▷ graze/scrape /greɪz, skreɪp/ [transitive verb]
to slightly break the surface of your skin by rubbing against something, for example when you fall on the ground :
▪ Oliver fell down on the path and grazed his knee.
▪ I wasn’t really hurt - I scraped my elbows a bit, that’s all.
graze/scrape /greɪz, skreɪp/ [countable noun]
a slight wound on your skin where it has been rubbed against something hard and rough :
▪ He had a bit of a graze on his elbow, but otherwise he was fine.
▷ gash /gæʃ/ [countable noun]
a large, deep cut in someone’s skin :
▪ The accident left her with an ugly gash above the left eye.
▷ nick /nɪk/ [transitive verb]
to accidentally make a small cut in the surface of your skin :
▪ I must have nicked myself when I was shaving this morning.
4. when a doctor or scientist makes a cut in someone’s body
▷ make an incision /ˌmeɪk ən ɪnˈsɪʒ ə n/ [verb phrase]
to cut into someone’s body, using a special knife, during a medical operation :
▪ The surgeon began by making an incision about six inches long.
▷ dissect /dɪˈsekt, daɪ-/ [transitive verb]
to cut a dead animal or person into pieces in order to study it :
▪ The specimens were carefully dissected and examined under a microscope.
5. to cut someone’s hair, beard, or fingernails
▷ cut /kʌt/ [transitive verb]
▪ My sister usually cuts my hair.
▪ I wish you wouldn’t cut your fingernails in the living room.
have your hair cut
pay someone to cut it for you
▪ Beth’s at the salon having her hair cut.
▷ haircut /ˈheəʳkʌt/ [countable noun]
when someone cuts your hair :
▪ Isn’t it about time you had a haircut?
▷ shave /ʃeɪv/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to cut the hair on your face or body so that your skin feels smooth :
▪ Have you shaved today?
▪ I didn’t have time to shave my legs.
shave off something/shave something off
▪ I wish he’d shave off that awful beard!
shave [singular noun]
▪ He went upstairs and had a quick shave.
▷ trim /trɪm/ [transitive verb]
to cut a small amount off someone’s hair or beard, so that it looks neater :
▪ Could you just trim my hair at the back?
trim [singular noun]
▪ Ian gave Sue’s hair a trim before shampooing it. he quickly cut her hair
6. to cut wood, plants, or grass
▷ cut down/chop down /ˌkʌt ˈdaʊn, ˌtʃɒp ˈdaʊnǁˌtʃɑːp-/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to make trees or bushes fall down by cutting them
cut/chop something down
:
▪ The tree was blocking the view from our window, and we asked a neighbour to chop it down.
cut/chop down something
:
▪ Cutting down vast areas of the rainforests has created serious ecological problems.
▷ fell /fel/ [transitive verb]
to cut down trees, especially a large number of them, using special equipment :
▪ 63 percent of trees felled in Guatemala are used for fuel.
▪ More trees are being felled annually now than ever before.
▷ chop/chop up /tʃɒp, ˌtʃɒp ˈʌpǁˌtʃɑːp-/ [transitive verb/transitive phrasal verb]
to cut wood into pieces using an axe (=a tool with a long handle and a sharp blade) :
▪ Ivan spent the day chopping wood and sawing logs.
chop something up/chop up something
▪ I chopped up the old fence and used it for firewood.
▷ cut /kʌt/ [transitive verb]
to cut grass or cut off leaves, in order to make a place or plant look tidy :
▪ She had to stand on a ladder to cut the top of the hedge.
cut the lawn/grass
▪ My dad used to cut the grass every Sunday morning.
▷ mow /məʊ/ [transitive verb]
to cut grass using a special machine, in order to make it look tidy
mow the lawn/the grass
:
▪ It took me two hours to mow the lawn.
▷ saw /sɔː/ [transitive verb]
to cut wood using a saw sharp tool that you push backwards and forwards across the surface of the wood :
▪ We had to saw the wood to the right length, and then nail the pieces together.
saw something up/saw up something
into several pieces :
▪ It took all morning to saw up the logs.
▷ prune /pruːn/ [transitive verb]
to cut off some of the branches of a tree or bush to make it grow better :
▪ Miniature roses do not need much pruning and are ideal for planting in pots.
▪ What’s the best time of the year for pruning apple trees?
▷ trim /trɪm/ [transitive verb]
to cut small amounts off something, especially a bush, in order to make it have a neat shape or surface :
▪ Do you think the hedge needs trimming?
▷ hack /hæk/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to cut trees, plants etc by hitting them with a heavy knife or other sharp tool using short violent movements :
hack at
▪ Robert was hacking at the base of the tree with an axe.
hack your way through/hack a path through
make a path by cutting down plants and trees
▪ They managed to hack their way through the jungle.
7. to remove something by cutting
▷ cut off /ˌkʌt ˈɒf/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to cut part of something away from the rest of it :
cut off something
▪ Cut off the stalks of the broccoli.
cut something off
▪ She took the cheese and cut a big piece off.
▷ chop off /ˌtʃɒp ˈɒfǁˌtʃɑːp-/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to cut something off by hitting it hard or cutting it with a sharp tool :
chop off something
▪ Chop off the tops of the carrots.
chop something off
▪ Careful you don’t chop your fingers off!
▷ snip off /ˌsnɪp ˈɒf/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to quickly remove something using scissors
snip something off/snip off something
:
▪ Snip the ends of the beans off before you cook them.
▪ After the plant finishes blooming, snip off the dead flowers.
▷ lop off /ˌlɒp ˈɒf ǁˌlɑːp-/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to cut a part of something off, especially a branch of a tree
lop off something/lop something off
:
▪ Workmen have lopped off some of the branches in an effort to save the tree.
▷ amputate /ˈæmpjɑteɪt/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to cut off someone’s arm, leg, or foot as a medical operation :
▪ He damaged his leg so badly that it had to be amputated.
amputation /ˌæmpjɑˈteɪʃ ə n/ [countable/uncountable noun]
▪ If the infection spreads quickly, amputation may be necessary.
▷ sever /ˈsevəʳ/ [transitive verb usually passive]
to cut off a part of someone’s body in an accident or an attack :
▪ The victim’s head had been severed in the accident.
severed [adjective only before noun]
▪ Surgeons were able to sew the severed finger back on.
▷ gouge somebody’s eyes out /ˌgaʊdʒ somebodyˈs ˈaɪz aʊt/ [verb phrase]
to remove someone’s eyes with a pointed weapon or object :
gouge somebody’s eyes out/gouge out somebody’s eyes
▪ McLaren accused Roberts of trying to gouge his eyes out during the fight.
8. to make a shape by cutting
▷ cut /kʌt/ [transitive verb]
cut something into a square/circle etc
▪ First cut the paper into a triangle.
:
cut out something/cut something out
▪ Stella stood at the kitchen table, cutting out the pattern for a new dress.
▪ The children drew Christmas trees on their pieces of paper and cut them out carefully.
▷ carve /kɑːʳv/ [transitive verb]
to cut shapes out of solid wood or stone :
▪ Michelangelo carved this figure from a single block of marble.
carved [adjective]
▪ The church has intricately carved doors.
▷ whittle /ˈwɪtl/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to cut a piece of wood into a particular shape by cutting off small pieces with a small knife :
▪ He took out his penknife and began whittling a piece of wood.