cut up
Britishverb
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to cut into pieces
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to inflict injuries on
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informal (usually passive) to affect the feelings of deeply
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informal to subject to severe criticism
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informal (of a driver) to overtake or pull in front of (another driver) in a dangerous manner
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informal to become angry or bad-tempered
noun
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Divide into smaller parts, break the continuity of, as in These meetings have cut up my whole day . [c. 1800]
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Severely censure or criticize, as in The reviewer cut up the book mercilessly . [Mid-1700s]
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be cut up . Be distressed or saddened, as in I was terribly cut up when she left . [Mid-1800s] Charles Dickens used this idiom in A Christmas Carol (1844): “Scrooge was not so dreadfully cut up by the sad event.”
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Behave in a playful, comic, or boisterous way, as in On the last night of camp the children usually cut up . [Late 1800s]
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cut up rough . Act in a rowdy, angry, or violent way, as in After a beer or two the boys began to cut up rough . [ Slang ; first half of 1800s]
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.
British luxury carmaker Aston Martin Lagonda on Wednesday announced plans to cut up to 20 percent of its workforce after widening annual losses on US tariffs and weak Chinese demand.
From Barron's
Looking ahead, Archer Daniels Midland remains on track to cut up to $750 million in costs over the next three to five years.
In an instant, he stands and sweeps down the face before cutting up again.
From Literature
Parcel delivery giant UPS says it will cut up to 30,000 jobs this year as it further reduces shipments for its biggest customer, Amazon.
From BBC
He was warm in long sleeves, which he took to wearing after wiping out in short sleeves a week ago and “getting cut up.”
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.
