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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cut back
Leah Douglas, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2025
Radio Free Asia has furloughed much of its staff and cut back on its daily news coverage while trying to conserve its remaining funds.
—Brian Stelter, CNN, 25 Mar. 2025
Troy Aidan Sambajon, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Mar. 2025
In a fiercely divided country, many saw the cutbacks through their own political lens.
—Matt Sedensky, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cut back
Verb
President Donald Trump's administration has vowed to lower inflation by cutting back on government spending, including two U.S. Department of Agriculture programs that helped schools and food banks buy food from local farms.
—Leah Douglas, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2025
Radio Free Asia has furloughed much of its staff and cut back on its daily news coverage while trying to conserve its remaining funds.
—Brian Stelter, CNN, 25 Mar. 2025
Noun
Critics argue the Education Department cutbacks are less about improving student outcomes and more about instituting a conservative agenda.
—Troy Aidan Sambajon, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Mar. 2025
In a fiercely divided country, many saw the cutbacks through their own political lens.
—Matt Sedensky, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cut back
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cut back
Verb
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Revisited epic, and its power is undiminished even though Dylan shaved off some of the latter verses.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
26 Mar. 2025
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Derrin claims Farley would also shave and put his body hair on people and their food.—
David Matthews,
New York Daily News,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Ward shortened his drop and threw a strike in the small sliver of space just before the hash mark.—
Ted Nguyen,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
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On March 7, a UK judge shortened the sentence of the group’s founder, Roger Hallam, for disrupting a traffic event after an appeal.—
Angelica Villa,
ARTnews.com,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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In California, for example, the increase in storage capacity has reduced curtailment, a term for diminished solar generation, and stabilized electricity pricing.—
Ariel Cohen,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
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Moreover, Ontario’s electricity grid frequently produces surplus power; export markets are essential to avoid costly waste or curtailment.—
Ali Hoss,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The mom of one most notably cut her hair in January 2023, debuting a head-turning, blunt bob.—
Dayna Haffenden,
People.com,
5 Apr. 2025
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Nissan reversed an earlier decision to cut production at a Tennesee plant to one shift from two.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In abbreviated Battles, Jacquelyn George defeated Jordan Allen to remain on Team Legend, and Dan Kieran and Page Mackenzie bested Jessica Manalo and Robert Hunter, respectively, to keep going with Team Kelsea.—
Charlie Mason,
TVLine,
24 Mar. 2025
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An abbreviated Season 7 will cap The Conners’ run at 112 episodes.—
Ryan Schwartz,
TVLine,
27 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The staff reductions are the first step in shutting down the 46-year-old agency, McMahon has said.—
Nicquel Terry Ellis,
CNN,
22 Mar. 2025
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All of those staffers were laid off in the recent federal workforce reductions.—
Kayla Jimenez,
USA TODAY,
22 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The 27-year-old’s next offering was even more up and in, the baseball colliding with India’s helmet, clipping his ear flap and grazing his face.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2025
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Everybody was able to move out, but two older women were really almost clipped.—
Patrick Smith,
NBC news,
24 Mar. 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 8 Apr. 2025.
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