1
: the act or action of cutting off
2
a
: the new and relatively short channel formed when a stream cuts through the neck of an oxbow
b
c
: a channel made to straighten a stream
3
: a device for cutting off
4
a
: something cut off
b
cutoffs plural
: shorts originally made from jeans with the legs cut off at the knees or higher
5
: the point, date, or period for a cutoff
cutoff
adjective
cut off; cutting off; cuts off
1
: to bring to an untimely end
Each one of those names reflects a life that was prematurely cut off …—
John Kerry
John Kerry2
: to stop the passage of
cut off communications
4
: discontinue, terminate
cut off a subscription
6
a
: disinherit
threatened to cut him off without a penny
b
: to refuse to serve (someone) more alcohol
The bartender cut them off.
7
a
: to stop the operation of : turn off
cut off the engine
b
: to stop or interrupt while in communication
the operator cut me off
: to cease operating
Synonyms
Examples of cutoff in a Sentence
Noun
a cutoff of the water supply
The cutoff for new applications is next Wednesday.
Verb
the majority party cut off debate and forced a vote on the bill
the dog cut off the one sheep that had to be sheared
Recent Examples on the WebKaren Deyoung, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
Videos from inside the UC Theatre show Rittenhouse being questioned before he's ushered off stage without a word to signal to the audience that a hard cutoff time had been hit.
—The Courier-Journal, 22 Mar. 2024
His face framed by his familiar Bunyan-esque beard, Mr. Kelce wore a cutoff T-shirt, sandals and a gold Rolex.
—Scott Cacciola, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024
These often jump right up into the 30 percent or 40 percent concentration range, but all are above the EDP cutoff of 20 percent.
—Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2024
Election letters cutoff Wednesday is the last day to submit letters pertaining to the March 5 election.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024
The cutoff date for early admission at Harvard was November 1, preceding Gay’s testimony before Congress on antisemitism and plagiarism scandal.
—Matt Egan, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
While the family's typical cutoff for participation in the egg hunt is 16 years old, Koeckenberg fudges that a bit, giving gift cards to the older teenagers.
—Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2024
Advocates for continuing aid have argued that the cutoff is unconscionable at a time when famine in Gaza is imminent.
—Margaret Brennan, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2024
Jennifer Jett, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024
Hidden by short grasses and rocks, this lizard has been isolated on the desert flatland for millions of years, cut off from others by towering peaks.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024
The epicenter was in Taiwan’s central mountain range, and the quake hit Tainan hardest, cutting off water to many people at the time and ripping a chasm in the ground.
—Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
However, sales vary between locations and may be cut off by one or two hours.
—Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024
Saturday afternoon briefly extended the closure an additional 30-plus miles to the north, cutting off outside access to Big Sur entirely.
—Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2024
As far back as Android 12 and more notably in Android 14, devices were able to cut off low-level cellular capabilities that would drop a phone from encrypted to insecure comms.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
In January, North Carolina cut off coverage of anti-obesity medicines for state employees, citing soaring costs and lack of agreement on pricing from drugmakers.
—Madison Muller, Fortune Europe, 28 Mar. 2024
Her husband, Mark Brown, said his family’s water was cut off without notice for as long as three hours a few times in the last year.
—Detroit Free Press, 23 Mar. 2024
Noun
As if to underline the inconsistency of the administration’s messaging — and as more Democrats demand a cutoff of U.S. aid — the State Department has since authorized thousands more bombs to be sent to Israel.
—Karen Deyoung, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
Videos from inside the UC Theatre show Rittenhouse being questioned before he's ushered off stage without a word to signal to the audience that a hard cutoff time had been hit.
—The Courier-Journal, 22 Mar. 2024
His face framed by his familiar Bunyan-esque beard, Mr. Kelce wore a cutoff T-shirt, sandals and a gold Rolex.
—Scott Cacciola, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024
These often jump right up into the 30 percent or 40 percent concentration range, but all are above the EDP cutoff of 20 percent.
—Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2024
Election letters cutoff Wednesday is the last day to submit letters pertaining to the March 5 election.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024
The cutoff date for early admission at Harvard was November 1, preceding Gay’s testimony before Congress on antisemitism and plagiarism scandal.
—Matt Egan, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
While the family's typical cutoff for participation in the egg hunt is 16 years old, Koeckenberg fudges that a bit, giving gift cards to the older teenagers.
—Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2024
Advocates for continuing aid have argued that the cutoff is unconscionable at a time when famine in Gaza is imminent.
—Margaret Brennan, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2024
Verb
Officials said that most of those trapped were at a hotel and activity center in eastern Taiwan’s Taroko National Park, which was cut off by road damage, and that they had been confirmed to be safe.
—Jennifer Jett, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024
Hidden by short grasses and rocks, this lizard has been isolated on the desert flatland for millions of years, cut off from others by towering peaks.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024
The epicenter was in Taiwan’s central mountain range, and the quake hit Tainan hardest, cutting off water to many people at the time and ripping a chasm in the ground.
—Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
However, sales vary between locations and may be cut off by one or two hours.
—Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024
Saturday afternoon briefly extended the closure an additional 30-plus miles to the north, cutting off outside access to Big Sur entirely.
—Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2024
As far back as Android 12 and more notably in Android 14, devices were able to cut off low-level cellular capabilities that would drop a phone from encrypted to insecure comms.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
In January, North Carolina cut off coverage of anti-obesity medicines for state employees, citing soaring costs and lack of agreement on pricing from drugmakers.
—Madison Muller, Fortune Europe, 28 Mar. 2024
Her husband, Mark Brown, said his family’s water was cut off without notice for as long as three hours a few times in the last year.
—Detroit Free Press, 23 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cutoff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near cutoff
Cite this Entry
“Cutoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cutoff. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cutoff
1 of 2 noun
cut·off
ˈkət-ˌȯf 
1
a
: the action of cutting off
b
: the point or date that cutting off occurs
2
: a device for cutting off
3
plural
: shorts made from jeans with the legs cut off short
cutoff
adjective
cut off
2 of 2 verbˌkət-ˈȯf
1
: to stop the flow or movement of
cut off a supply
2
: isolate
cut off from the world
3
: discontinue sense 2
they cut off relations with us
4
: to stop from talking
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