cut in — suddenly drive in front of another vehicle
phrasal verbB2IELTS 6+neutralcommon
To move your vehicle quickly in front of another car, often without enough space or warning.
Say it like a native
Textbook The other driver moved abruptly into the lane in front of me.
Native That guy just cut in front of me.
'Cut in' is the natural driving complaint; the long description reads like a written accident report.
Pattern: cut in (on someone/something)
In use
- A car cut in right in front of me on the highway, and I had to brake hard.travel
- One problem with city driving is that some drivers cut in without signaling, which can cause accidents.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ A car cut in me on the motorway.
✓ A car cut in front of me on the motorway.
Use 'cut in front of' someone when driving — not 'cut in' someone.
Common collocations
cut in (front of)— in front of me, suddenly, without indicating, a car
Don't confuse it
'Cut in' is about moving in front of another vehicle suddenly. 'Overtake' means to pass another vehicle, not necessarily in a rude way.
Related
- cut in (interrupt someone who is speaking) — Another meaning of 'cut in' is 'interrupt someone who is speaking'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.