To stop doing or eating something, especially because it is unhealthy or not good for you.
After his doctor’s advice, Mark decided to cut out sugar from his diet.
A: You look great! Have you been working out? B: Thanks! I actually just cut out junk food.
To improve my concentration, I had to cut out using my phone late at night.
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'.
Tell it apart
I've cut out fizzy drinks.
stopped completely
I've cut down on fizzy drinks.
drink less, not none
Use 'cut out' when you want to say you have stopped something completely, often for health or lifestyle reasons.'Cut out' (stop doing) is different from 'cut down on', which means to do something less often, not stop completely.
When a device, appliance or connection stops working, usually for a short time and without warning.
The heating keeps cutting out, so the flat's freezing in the mornings.
A: Is the wifi still playing up? B: Yeah, it keeps cutting out every few minutes.
Sorry, you keep cutting out — could you say that again? (casual) I'm afraid the connection keeps dropping; could you repeat that? (polite)
Common mistake
✗The wifi is cutting off all the time.
✓The wifi keeps cutting out.
For something that stops by itself, use 'cut out', not 'cut off' (which means someone disconnects it).
Very common with heating, wifi, the boiler and phone signal at home.'Cut out' = stops on its own; 'cut off' = someone/something disconnects it deliberately.
If the sound or picture cuts out, it suddenly stops for a moment during a call or while streaming.
You cut out there — I only caught the first half of what you said.
The sound keeps cutting out on this film; it's really annoying.
Note: 'cut out' (sound stops briefly) is different from 'cut off' (disconnected fully).Close to 'you're breaking up' for a bad signal; 'cut off' means the call drops completely.
To remove a part of something by cutting it away, often with scissors or a knife.
She cut out a picture from the magazine for her project.
A: Why are there holes in your notebook? B: I had to cut out some diagrams for my science homework.
In art class, we were asked to cut out different shapes from colored paper to make a collage.
Common mistake
✗Cut out it carefully.
✓Cut it out carefully.
With a pronoun, the object goes in the middle: 'cut it out'.
Tell it apart
She cut out a heart shape from the paper.
removed a piece by cutting
They cut down the tree.
felled it
Use 'cut out' when you are talking about removing a specific part, like a shape from paper or a section from a text.'Cut out' (remove by cutting) is different from 'cut off', which usually means to remove the whole end or section.
To have the right qualities or abilities for a particular job, activity, or situation, often used in the negative to suggest someone is not suitable.
Despite her qualifications, she quickly realised she wasn't cut out for the pressures of corporate life.
A: I thought you wanted to be a surgeon? B: I did, but after my first year in med school, I knew I wasn't cut out for it.
While many people aspire to leadership positions, not everyone is cut out for the demands and responsibilities these roles entail.
Common mistake
✗She's not cut out to management.
✓She's not cut out for management. / not cut out to be a manager.
Use 'cut out FOR + noun' or 'cut out TO BE + role'.
Tell it apart
He's not cut out for sales.
not suited to it
He was cut out of the photo.
removed from it
'Be cut out for' is used to talk about whether someone is naturally suited to a particular role or activity, especially in professional or challenging contexts. It is neutral in register and often appears in negative statements.Unlike the B1 senses, which are literal (removing something physically or stopping an activity), this sense is figurative and refers to suitability or natural ability for something.