Meaning trap
cut out
stops working suddenly
When a device, appliance or connection stops working, usually for a short time and without warning.
phrasal verbB1common
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
stops working suddenly
When a device, appliance or connection stops working, usually for a short time and without warning.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
- The heating keeps cutting out, so the flat's freezing in the mornings.describing a fault at home
- A: Is the wifi still playing up?
B: Yeah, it keeps cutting out every few minutes.flatmates
Fix the pattern
Pattern: [the heating/wifi/line] keeps cutting out
WrongThe wifi is cutting off all the time.
RightThe wifi keeps cutting out.
For something that stops by itself, use 'cut out', not 'cut off' (which means someone disconnects it).
Pattern[the heating/wifi/line] keeps cutting out
Don't confuse it
'Cut out' = stops on its own; 'cut off' = someone/something disconnects it deliberately.