verb | noun
cutcut1 /kʌt/ verb (past tense and past participle cut, present participle cutting) 1 
to cut something with a knife, scissors, etc.► cut to divide or make a hole in something, using a knife, scissors, etc.: Cut the cardboard into a circle. He cut a hole in the fence and escaped.
► snip to cut something quickly with scissors: Snip off the end of the string behind the knot.
► slit to make a thin cut all the way through something: Roberto slit open the envelope with a knife.
► slash to cut something in a very violent way: Someone had slashed a hole in our tent and taken my wallet.
► hack to cut something in a very rough or violent way: Mr. Powell was hacking at the base of the tree with an ax.
► amputate (formal) to cut off someone’s arm, leg, foot, etc. in a medical operation: The soldier’s wound was so bad that the doctors decided they had to amputate his leg.
► sever (formal) to cut off a part of someone’s body in an accident or attack: Her hand was severed in the accident.
2 to cut someone’s skin► cut to cut someone’s skin: The knife is very sharp - be careful you don’t cut your finger. I cut myself on some glass.
► scratch to make a small cut that is not very deep: The cat scratched him and ran away.
► stab to push a knife or other sharp object into someone’s body: The attacker stabbed him, but his injuries are not serious.
3 to cut food► cut to divide food into pieces using a knife: She cut the pizza in half. Cut the carrots into long sticks.
► chop to cut something into small pieces with quick movements of a knife: Chop the garlic into little pieces and add them to the pan.
► slice to cut flat pieces from a larger piece of food, especially bread or meat: Slice the beef thinly. She sliced a few pieces of bread to use for toast.
► carve to cut a large piece of cooked meat into slices, in order to serve it: My mother carved the turkey at the table.
► peel to take the outside part off a fruit or vegetable: I peeled the potatoes and put them in boiling water.
► dice to cut vegetables or fruit into fairly small square pieces: Dice the carrots and add them to the soup.
► grate to cut food into small thin pieces by rubbing it against a tool with lots of sharp holes called a grater: Grate the cheese and sprinkle it on the top of the pasta.
GRAMMAR CHECK: cutMany of the verbs you use to talk about cutting food can be turned into adjectives by adding “-ed.” You can say chopped, sliced, peeled, diced, and grated: Mix the chopped nuts in with the other ingredients. | Put the diced onion into the pan with the olive oil.4 to cut wood, grass, or other plants► cut to make grass or other plants shorter: Now that spring is here, it’s time to cut the grass again. I cut back a few of the branches so that they didn’t hang over the sidewalk.
► mow to cut grass with a machine: My brother was in the backyard mowing the lawn.
► clip to cut small amounts of grass, a hedge, or a bush with a tool you hold in your hand, in order to make it shorter or smaller: That hedge looks better now it has been clipped.
► trim to cut a small amount off a bush or other plant, to make it look neater: The roses need trimming.
► cut down also chop down to completely remove a tree or other large plant by cutting it all the way through: They cut down several old trees on our street. Don’t let them chop down that maple tree!
► chop to cut wood into pieces with an ax: My sister helped my dad chop wood for the fire.
► saw to cut wood using a tool called a saw, which you push forward and back: It takes a long time to saw through one of these big logs.
5 to cut hair or fingernails► cut to cut someone’s hair or nails: My mom usually cuts my hair for me. How often do you cut your nails? ➔ When another person cuts your hair, say: I’m having/getting my hair cut. Don’t say: I’m cutting my hair.
► shave to cut off the hair on your face or body with a razor (=a tool with thin sharp blades on a handle): He was shaving in the bathroom. She shaves her legs every two days.
► trim to cut off a small amount of hair, to make it look neater: Can you trim about an inch off the ends of my hair?
► shear to cut the wool off a sheep: He grew up on a farm and knew how to shear sheep.
➔ see reduce ➔ see shorten verb | noun
cutcut2 /kʌt/ noun ► cut an injury you get when something sharp cuts your skin: The nurse cleaned the cut and put a bandage on it. I got a small cut from the knife.
► scratch a small cut on your skin that is not deep: I climbed a tree and got a few scratches on my arms from the tree branches.
► gash a deep cut: His leg had a deep gash in it from the motorcycle accident.
► wound a deep cut or hole in your skin, made by a weapon. Wounds are usually serious: The soldiers were in the hospital recovering from bullet wounds.
➔ see decrease1