cut off — interrupt abruptly
phrasal verbC1IELTS 7+neutralcommon
To stop someone from speaking or expressing themselves by interrupting them suddenly, often before they have finished.
Say it like a native
Textbook She interrupted me before I could finish my sentence.
Native She cut me off before I'd finished.
'Cut someone off' is the natural verb for interrupting; the full description is wordy.
Pattern: cut someone off (when speaking)
In use
- She was about to explain her idea when the chairperson cut her off mid-sentence.conversation
- During the debate, one candidate repeatedly cut off his opponent, making it difficult for her to finish her arguments.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ He cut off me in the middle of my point.
✓ He cut me off in the middle of my point.
With a pronoun, the object goes in the middle: 'cut me off'.
Common collocations
cut + person + off— cut me off, cut her off, mid-sentence, abruptly
Don't confuse it
Unlike the B2 sense 'isolate (separate from others or from help)', this sense refers specifically to stopping someone from speaking, not to physical or social isolation.
Related
- cut off (disconnect (phone, electricity, etc.)) — 'cut off' also has the more basic meaning 'disconnect (phone, electricity, etc.)'; this is the advanced sense.