cut off
[verb]
Synonyms:
- separate, isolate, sever
- interrupt, disconnect, intercept

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

cut somebody/something off phrasal verb (see also cut)

1. SEPARATE cut something ↔ off to separate something by cutting it away from the main part:
One of his fingers was cut off in the accident.
cut something off something
Cut the fat off the meat.

2. STOP SUPPLY cut something ↔ off to stop the supply of something such as electricity, gas, water etc:
The gas had been cut off.
The US has threatened to cut off economic and military aid.

3. get cut off to suddenly not be able to hear someone that you were speaking to on the telephone:
I don’t know what happened – we just got cut off.

4. be cut off
a) if a place is cut off, people cannot leave it or reach it:
In winter, the town is often cut off by snow.
b) to be a long way from other places and be difficult to get to:
Accessible only by air, the town is cut off from the rest of the country.
c) if someone is cut off, they are lonely and not able to meet many other people:
Many older people feel cut off and isolated.

5. STOP BEING FRIENDLY cut somebody ↔ off to stop having a friendly relationship with someone:
Julia had been completely cut off by all her family and friends.
cut yourself off (from somebody)
After his wife died, he cut himself off completely from the rest of the world.

6. INTERRUPT to interrupt someone and stop them from finishing what they were saying:
Emma cut him off in mid-sentence.

7. PREVENT SOMETHING cut somebody off from something to prevent someone from having something that they need or want:
The project aims to ensure that poorer people are not cut off from the benefits of computer technology.

8. MONEY/PROPERTY to refuse to let someone receive your money or property, especially when you die:
My parents threatened to cut me off without a penny if I married him.

9. DRIVING cut somebody ↔ off American English to suddenly drive in front of a moving car in a dangerous way:
A man in a station wagon cut me off on the freeway.

10. cut off your nose to spite your face to do something because you are angry, even though it will harm you

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

ˈcut-off , cut‧off /ˈkʌtɒf $ -ɒːf/ noun

1. [countable usually singular] a limit or level at which you stop doing something ⇒ deadline
cut-off date/point/score etc (=the date etc when you stop doing something)
The cut-off date for registration is July 2.

2. [countable usually singular] when you completely stop doing something or supplying something
cut-off of
A full-scale cut-off of US aid would be a disaster.

3. cutoffs (also cut-off jeans/trousers etc) [plural] short trousers that you make by cutting off the bottom part of a pair of trousers

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

cut off
• cut off (someone or something)
to stop someone from saying something, to interrupt someone, to disconnect someone on the phone
I tried to tell my father about the accident but he cut me off before I had a chance.

My friend cut me off when I was speaking.

The speech by our manager was cut off when the electricity went off in the building.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

cut off something
• cut off (someone or something)
to stop someone from saying something, to interrupt someone, to disconnect someone on the phone
I tried to tell my father about the accident but he cut me off before I had a chance.

My friend cut me off when I was speaking.

The speech by our manager was cut off when the electricity went off in the building.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

cut off
v.
1. To separate or block.
The flood cut the townspeople off from the rest of the world.
The woods cut off the view.
His rudeness cuts him off from friends he might have.
2. To interrupt or stop.
The television show was cut off by a special news report.
We were told to pay the bill or the water would be cut off.
3. To end the life of; cause the death of.
Disease cut Smith off in the best part of life.
4. To give nothing to at death; leave out of a will.
Jane married a man her father hated, and her father cut her off.
Frank's uncle cut him off without a penny.
5. To stop from operating; turn a switch to stop.
The ship cut off its engines as it neared the dock.
Synonym: SHUT OFF, TURN OFF.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲