cutoff
/ˈkʌt.ɒf/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈkʌt̬.ɑːf/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈkət-ˌȯf/ (ame, mw)
cutoff — noun
- cutoffsingular
- cutoffsplural
1. a specific level, date, age, or score chosen as the boundary that decides who or
a specific level, date, age, or score chosen as the boundary that decides who or what is included; anything past it gets excluded.
The university set 1,800 as the SAT cutoff for scholarship applicants this year.
cutoff + for [purpose] — the limit that gates eligibility
Renata missed the registration cutoff by two hours and lost her seat.
missed the cutoff — common collocation
Voters under the age cutoff cannot take part in the local referendum.
Our magazine has a Friday cutoff for stories appearing in the weekend edition.
文法句型
cutoff + for + N
cutoff + date / point / age / score
用法筆記
Often paired with a category noun (age, score, date, time) before or after it, e.g. 'age cutoff', 'cutoff date'. Distinguish from sense 2 (which is the action of stopping a supply, not a boundary value).
常見錯誤
2. the moment when something that was being supplied — water, electricity, money, o
the moment when something that was being supplied — water, electricity, money, or help — is stopped, usually as a punishment or because of a problem.
Tariq fixed the leak before the water cutoff was scheduled for noon.
[utility] + cutoff — typical compound noun
The sudden cutoff of foreign aid left the small clinic without medicine.
cutoff + of + [resource]
After three missed payments, the family received a power cutoff notice.
Hospitals near the border are bracing for a cutoff of medical supplies.
- shutoff
near-identical; slightly more about mechanical stopping
- termination
formal; covers ending contracts, not just supplies
- stoppage
neutral; broader, also covers production lines
- restoration
the resumption of a stopped supply
文法句型
cutoff + of + N (water / aid / power)
用法筆記
Object of 'of' is typically a flowing resource (water, gas, power, aid, funding). Distinguish from sense 1 (a boundary value, not an act of stopping).
常見錯誤
3. a part on a pipe, engine, or circuit — often a valve or switch — that you turn o
a part on a pipe, engine, or circuit — often a valve or switch — that you turn or press to stop the flow of liquid, gas, or electricity.
Daichi installed an emergency cutoff under the kitchen sink last weekend.
emergency cutoff — safety-device compound
The mechanic showed Layla where the fuel cutoff was located on the engine.
fuel cutoff — automotive compound
Press the red cutoff if the machine starts smoking or making a loud noise.
Every gas line in the building has a cutoff near its main entrance.
- shutoff
more common in American English plumbing contexts
- kill switch
informal; specifically for emergency-stop devices
- stopcock
British English; specific to water taps under the floor
文法句型
cutoff + valve / switch / lever
用法筆記
Often a short form of 'cutoff valve' or 'cutoff switch'. Subject is typically a physical system (pipe, engine, line). Distinguish from sense 2 (the act of stopping a supply, not the device that does it).
常見錯誤
4. casual shorts that someone has made by taking an old pair of long jeans or trous
casual shorts that someone has made by taking an old pair of long jeans or trousers and cutting the leg parts away with scissors.
Mayumi made cutoffs from her old jeans and wore them to the beach picnic.
made cutoffs from + jeans — origin pattern
Otis spent the entire summer in a pair of frayed denim cutoffs and sandals.
a pair of + cutoffs — typical count phrase
The festival dress code bans cutoffs but allows other casual summer shorts.
Jisoo's cutoffs were unraveling at the hem after three years of weekend wear.
- denim shorts
neutral; doesn't imply they were cut from longer jeans
- jorts
very informal; jean shorts (slang blend of jeans + shorts)
文法句型
a pair of cutoffs
wear cutoffs
用法筆記
Almost always plural ('cutoffs'), like 'trousers' or 'jeans'. Use 'a pair of cutoffs' for one item. Informal register; not used in formal clothing descriptions.
常見錯誤
cutoff — verb
- cutoffpresent simple I / you / we / they
- cutoffs3rd person singular
- cutoffing-ing form
- cutoffedpast simple
1. to stop a liquid, gas, or power from being able to pass through a pipe, wire, or
to stop a liquid, gas, or power from being able to pass through a pipe, wire, or supply line into a place where it normally goes.
The flood cutoff fresh water to two neighbourhoods near the river.
cutoff + [resource] + to + [place]
Workers cutoff the gas line before drilling near the main road.
cutoff + [line / supply] before + V-ing
A fallen tree cutoff electricity to Mira's entire village last night.
The engineer cutoff the cold tap and let the pipes warm up.
- restore
bring back a previously stopped supply
文法句型
cutoff + N (water / gas / power)
用法筆記
Object is typically a flowing resource (water, gas, oil, power). Frequently in passive: 'water was cutoff'. Distinguish from sense 3 (stopping a machine running), where the object is a machine, not what flows through it.
常見錯誤
2. to bring something — a programme, a payment, a conversation, a life — to an end
to bring something — a programme, a payment, a conversation, a life — to an end before it would naturally finish, often suddenly.
The donor cutoff funding for the after-school programme without warning.
cutoff + funding — administrative ending
Heart disease cutoff the artist's career when she was only forty-two.
abstract subject + cutoff + [career/life]
Tara's parents cutoff her allowance after she failed the chemistry course.
The board cutoff negotiations and walked out of the meeting room.
- terminate
formal; common in contracts and employment contexts
- discontinue
neutral; suggests a planned rather than sudden end
- halt
emphasises stopping in mid-progress
- continue
let something keep going as planned
文法句型
cutoff + N (programme / funding / negotiations)
用法筆記
Object is typically an ongoing activity, payment, or life event — not a flowing resource (compare sense 1). Often signals abrupt or unwelcome ending.
常見錯誤
3. to make a machine, engine, or motor stop running by flipping a switch, pressing
to make a machine, engine, or motor stop running by flipping a switch, pressing a button, or using a special control.
Hari cutoff the lawn-mower the moment it started smoking near the fence.
cutoff + [machine] — emergency stop
The pilot cutoff the second engine after takeoff to save fuel.
cutoff + engine — aviation context
Madison cutoff the water pump before unscrewing the rusted bolt.
Always cutoff the saw before reaching across the blade for safety.
- switch off
neutral; for electrical appliances
- shut down
implies a fuller stop, often takes longer
- kill
informal; common for engines and motors
- start up
begin running a machine
文法句型
cutoff + N (engine / motor / pump)
用法筆記
Object is the machine itself (engine, pump, mower), not what the machine handles. Distinguish from sense 1, where the object is the resource flowing through equipment, not the equipment itself.
常見錯誤
4. to separate a person, place, or group from contact with others — often because o
to separate a person, place, or group from contact with others — often because of physical barriers, social conflict, or a chosen withdrawal.
The snowstorm cutoff the mountain village from the outside world for six days.
cutoff + [place] + from + [other place]
After the argument, Diya cutoff her cousins from all family gatherings.
social isolation — interpersonal cutoff
The new fence cutoff the chickens from the vegetable beds behind the house.
Walid felt cutoff from his old friends after moving across the country.
- reunite
bring together what was separated
文法句型
cutoff + N + from + N
be cutoff from + N
用法筆記
Very commonly passive: 'be cutoff from X'. The 'from' phrase names what the subject is now separated from. Distinguish from sense 5 (disinherit), which is a legal-financial removal from family inheritance, not general social isolation.
常見錯誤
5. to formally remove a family member — usually in a will — so that they will not r
to formally remove a family member — usually in a will — so that they will not receive any money or property after the writer's death.
Old Mr Vance cutoff his eldest son after the gambling scandal made headlines.
cutoff + [relative] + after + [cause]
The will cutoff Tyler without a single dollar, leaving everything to the housekeeper.
cutoff + N + without + a + [coin]
The lawyer warned Astrid that her father could legally cutoff any of his children.
After the public quarrel, the heiress threatened to cutoff her sister from the estate.
- disinherit
formal legal term; precise single-word equivalent
- disown
broader; includes ending the relationship, not only the inheritance
- include
name someone as a recipient in a will
文法句型
cutoff + N + without + N (a penny / a cent)
用法筆記
Almost always involves wills, inheritance, or trust funds. Object is a relative; common follow-up is 'without a penny' or 'without a cent'. Distinguish from sense 4 (general isolation), which is about contact, not inheritance.
常見錯誤
6. for a bartender or host to refuse to give a customer or guest any more alcoholic
for a bartender or host to refuse to give a customer or guest any more alcoholic drinks, usually because the person has already drunk too much.
The bartender at O'Brien's cutoff Kevin after his fifth whisky of the evening.
bartender + cutoff + [customer]
Arjun politely cutoff the loud guest who was slurring his words at midnight.
host + cutoff + [guest]
Hotel staff are trained to cutoff anyone who looks unsteady at the bar.
Mira cutoff her own father at the wedding because he had already had too much wine.
- refuse service
more formal phrasing used in policies and signs
- serve
give a customer another drink
文法句型
cutoff + N (a customer / a guest)
用法筆記
Subject is the person serving drinks; object is the drinker. Sense is specific to alcohol service in bars, restaurants, weddings, etc. — not general food or other drinks.
常見錯誤
7. to stop a person speaking by interrupting them, or to break a phone or video cal
to stop a person speaking by interrupting them, or to break a phone or video call before the other person has finished what they were saying.
Baraka cutoff his colleague mid-sentence to point out the missed deadline.
cutoff + N + mid-sentence — interruption pattern
The poor signal cutoff Élise during her job interview over the phone.
non-human cause + cutoff + person (signal loss)
Ari kept getting cutoff during the video call because of the slow internet.
Please don't cutoff your sister while she is explaining what happened at school.
- let finish
allow the speaker to complete their thought
文法句型
cutoff + N + mid-sentence
cutoff + N + before + clause
用法筆記
Either a person interrupting speech, or a technical failure (poor signal, dropped call) ending the audio. Subject is the interrupter or the cause; object is the speaker.
常見錯誤
8. for a machine, engine, or motor to stop running by itself, usually because somet
for a machine, engine, or motor to stop running by itself, usually because something inside it has failed or a safety control has been triggered.
The pump cutoff automatically when the water tank reached the maximum level.
intransitive: subject = machine
Our chainsaw cutoff suddenly halfway through the oak branch in the yard.
cutoff + suddenly — abrupt self-stop
The fridge cutoff again last night, and the milk turned warm by morning.
Old generators tend to cutoff when the temperature drops below freezing.
- keep running
continue operating without stopping
文法句型
[machine] + cutoff
用法筆記
Intransitive — no object after the verb. Subject is always the machine itself. Distinguish from sense 3 (someone cutoff the machine), where a person turns it off deliberately.