a cut

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   a small injury where the skin is broken by something sharp.

   Grammar: Countable: you can say a cut, two cuts, or the cut on my finger.

   Patterns

   • a cut on something
   • have a cut
   • get a cut

   I got a cut on my thumb while chopping onions.

   She cleaned the cut and put a bandage on it.

2. 2nouncountableinformal

   a share of money or profits, especially one that seems unfair or is arranged informally.

   Grammar: Often used with 'of': a cut of the profits. Usually singular in this sense.

   Patterns

   • a cut of something
   • get a cut
   • take a cut

   The agent takes a cut of every ticket sold.

   He wanted a bigger cut of the deal.

3. 3nouncountable

   a reduction in the amount, size, or level of something.

   Grammar: Often used with 'in': a cut in prices, a cut in staff.

   Patterns

   • a cut in something
   • make a cut
   • announce a cut

   The company announced a cut in its advertising budget.

   There has been a cut in bus services in our area.

Word forms

Common combinations

a deep cut

The glass made a deep cut on his foot.

a small cut

It's only a small cut, so you don't need stitches.

a cut of the profits

The author gets a cut of the profits from every book sold.

a cut in spending

The government promised a cut in spending next year.

a paper cut

I hate getting a paper cut from an envelope.

Synonyms and how they differ

gash

A gash is a long, deep cut, so it sounds more serious than a cut.

slash

A slash is a long, thin cut made with a sharp weapon or tool, often more dramatic than a cut.

share

Share is the general word for a part of something; a cut is informal and often suggests money taken from a total.

Word family

cut verb

to make an opening or wound with something sharp

cutting adjective

unkind and hurtful, as in a cutting remark

Commonly confused: a cut or cut?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “a cut”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words