cut down

What does "cut down" mean?

1. To reduce the amount or quantity of something
2. To fell a tree
3. To kill or injure someone
4. To make something shorter

Examples

• I'm trying to cut down on coffee.
• They cut down all the trees to build a parking lot.
• The flu cut him down just before the competition.
• Can you cut this article down to 500 words?
• We need to cut down our expenses.

How to use it

'Cut down on' is the standard phrase for reducing consumption of something (food, spending, etc.). Very common in health and budget contexts.

Word order

For reducing: often 'cut down on' + noun. For felling trees: separable ('cut the tree down'). For shortening: separable.

Similar expressions

Opposites

Related phrasal verbs

• cut off

  To remove something by cutting

• cut out

  To remove something by cutting

• cut back

  To reduce spending, production, or consumption

• cut in

  To interrupt someone who is speaking

• cut up

  To cut something into smaller pieces

• cut down on

  To reduce the amount or frequency of something