cut back[verb]Synonyms: shorten, abbreviate, abridge, curtail, cut, retrench, slash, reduce, clip, cut down, lower, mark down, pare, shave
English Thesaurus: reduce, cut, lower, bring something down, slash, ... [TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲
cut back phrasal verb (
see also cut)
1. to reduce the amount, size, cost etc of something
cut back on
Several major hospitals are cutting back on staff at the moment.cut something ↔ back Education spending cannot be cut back any further. Richer countries must do more to cut back carbon emissions. ⇒
cutback2. cut something ↔ back to remove the top part of a plant in order to help it to grow:
Cut back the shoots in spring to encourage bushier growth.3. to eat, drink, or use less of something, especially in order to improve your health
cut back on Try to cut back on foods containing wheat and dairy products. [TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲
reduce to make the price, amount, or size of something less or smaller:
The price was reduced by 50%. We need to reduce the amount of salt in our diet.cut to reduce something, especially by a large amount – used about prices, costs, jobs, or the time needed to do something:
Companies are always looking for ways to cut costs. The journey time will be cut to under 2 hours. Staff numbers have been cut by half to about 150.lower to reduce the level, limit, or amount of something.
Lower sounds rather formal:
The voting age was lowered to 18. The government decided to lower interest rates by 0.5%. After twenty minutes, lower the temperature to 150 degrees.bring something down to reduce something such as prices or costs, or reduce the level of something.
Bring something down is less formal than
lower:
The government wants to bring down the level of inflation. The company is trying to bring its costs down.slash informal to reduce an amount or price by a very large amount – used especially in newspapers and advertisements:
Public spending has been slashed over the past two years. Prices slashed for one week only!cut something back to reduce the amount of something – used especially about people deciding to spend less, do less, or use less of something:
The education budget has been cut back again. I need to cut back on my workload.downsize to reduce the number of people employed in order to reduce costs – used about a company or organization:
The company is planning to downsize its European operations.scale something down/back to reduce the size or the amount of money that is being spent on something:
The research programme has been scaled down. The navy is being scaled down.relieve/ease to make pain or feelings less unpleasant:
The drug is used to relieve pain. A joke can help to ease the tension.alleviate formal to reduce pain or suffering, or make a problem less serious:
You can buy various medicines to alleviate the symptoms of flu. The new road was supposed to alleviate the congestion problem. [TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲
cut back v. 1. To change direction suddenly while going at full speed.
The halfback started to his left, cut back to his right, and ran for a touchdown. 2. To use fewer or use less.
After the big job was finished, the builder cut back the number of men working for him. The school employed forty teachers until a lower budget forced it to cut back. [TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲