cut out — stop doing or eating something (usually for health reasons)
phrasal verbB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
To stop doing or eating something, especially because it is unhealthy or not good for you.
Say it like a native
Textbook I have eliminated sugar entirely from my diet.
Native I've cut out sugar completely.
'Cut out' is everyday health talk for stopping something; 'eliminated entirely from my diet' is a nutrition leaflet.
Pattern: cut out + noun/gerund
In use
- After his doctor’s advice, Mark decided to cut out sugar from his diet.health
- To improve my concentration, I had to cut out using my phone late at night.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ I've cut out of eating chocolate.
✓ I've cut out chocolate. / I've cut chocolate out.
'Cut out + the thing' — no 'of eating'.
Common collocations
cut out + food/habit— sugar, alcohol, caffeine, snacks
Don't confuse it
'Cut out' (stop doing) is different from 'cut down on', which means to do something less often, not stop completely.
Related
- cut out (remove something by cutting) — Another meaning of 'cut out' is 'remove something by cutting'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.