cut down on — reduce
phrasal verbB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
To use or do something less, especially because it is unhealthy, expensive, or unnecessary.
Say it like a native
Textbook I am endeavouring to reduce my consumption of sugar.
Native I'm trying to cut down on sugar.
'Cut down on' is the everyday health-talk verb; 'reduce my consumption of' is clinical.
Pattern: cut down on + noun/gerund
In use
- I'm trying to cut down on sugar because it's bad for my teeth.health
- To improve my health, I decided to cut down on junk food and exercise more regularly.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ I want to cut down sugar.
✓ I want to cut down on sugar.
Use 'cut down ON' something. ('Cut down a tree' is a different, literal meaning.)
Common collocations
cut down on + excess— sugar, caffeine, spending, screen time
Don't confuse it
'Cut down' alone can mean to make something fall, like a tree. 'Cut down on' means to reduce the amount of something.