cut back
Idioms-
Shorten by cutting, prune, as in It's time we cut back these bushes . [1860s]
-
Reduce, decrease, as in They are going to cut back defense spending , or We have to cut back production . [c. 1940] Also see cut to the bone .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Like any consumer, boomers who want to avoid wasting money can consider tracking and analyzing expenses and cutting back on expenses that don’t actually improve their quality of life.
From MarketWatch
The company cut back on its losses in the quarter.
From Barron's
They didn’t cut back on dining at high-end restaurants or attending music festivals.
From MarketWatch
The inflation is forcing families to cut back.
From BBC
If demand is elastic, consumers cut back, total spending falls, and less money flows to traffickers.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
