cut down
Britishverb
-
(tr) to fell
-
to reduce or make a reduction (in)
to cut down on drink
-
(tr) to remake (an old garment) in order to make a smaller one
-
(tr) to kill
he was cut down in battle
-
to reduce in importance or decrease the conceit of
-
Kill, as in The troops were cut down one by one as they crossed the field . [Early 1800s]
-
Also, cut down on . Reduce, decrease, as in I want to cut down my caffeine intake , or We have to cut down on our expenses . [Mid-1800s]
-
cut down to size ; knock down to size . Reduce the self-importance of, humble, as in He's so arrogant—I wish someone would cut him down to size , or She really got knocked down to size when her class ranking slipped . [Early 1900s]
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.
Automation efforts are cutting down labor costs, increasing productivity and improving delivery speeds.
"During the war, Khartoum state has lost 60 percent of its green cover," Hamed said, describing how century-old trees "were cut down with electric saws" for commercial timber and charcoal production.
From Barron's
Educators are overhauling their classroom management approach to cut down on the chaos.
From Los Angeles Times
Tree surgeons cut down historic pines near Rome's Colosseum on Friday, a fortnight after three people were hurt when a massive tree fell near the Imperial Forum.
From Barron's
Groft was accused of cutting down 12 trees, as well as sawing the limb off a 13th, across a seven-day period beginning April 13 — sometimes in broad daylight, other times in the dead of night.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
