Meaning & use
cutting someone off
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Meanings
phrasetransitive
The act of stopping someone from speaking, often by interrupting them.
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase or part of a verb phrase. The object is the person being interrupted.
Patterns
- cutting someone off in mid-sentence
- cutting someone off while they speak
I hate cutting someone off when they are telling a story.
He kept cutting her off before she could finish her point.
The moderator was criticized for cutting the speaker off too soon.
phrasetransitive
The act of stopping the supply of something, such as electricity, water, or money, to a person or place.
Grammar: Often used in passive structures: 'They are cutting off our water supply.' The object is the thing or person being deprived.
Patterns
- cutting off the electricity
- cutting someone off without warning
The company is cutting off power to customers who don't pay.
Cutting off someone's income can leave them in serious trouble.
They are cutting off the water supply for repairs.
phrasetransitive
The act of driving in front of another vehicle too closely and suddenly, forcing it to slow down or change direction.
Grammar: Used to describe a dangerous driving maneuver. Often in the phrase 'cutting someone off in traffic'.
Patterns
- cutting someone off in traffic
- getting cut off by another driver
Cutting someone off in traffic can cause an accident.
He was angry after cutting someone off and getting a honk.
She avoided cutting off the car next to her.
Common combinations
- cutting someone off in mid-sentence
- He kept cutting me off in mid-sentence, which was very rude.
- cutting off the supply
- The rebels are cutting off the supply of food to the city.
- cutting someone off in traffic
- Cutting someone off in traffic is not only rude but dangerous.
- cutting off communication
- After the argument, they stopped cutting off communication completely.
Synonyms and how they differ
- interrupting
- Interrupting is more general; it can mean breaking in on an activity or conversation. Cutting someone off specifically means stopping them while they are speaking.
- disconnecting
- Disconnecting means breaking a physical or logical connection, such as a phone line or internet service. Cutting off often implies a deliberate action to stop supply or contact.
Word family
- cut off phrasal verb
- The base form of the phrasal verb, meaning to stop supply, interrupt, or isolate.
Commonly confused: cutting someone off or cutting off?
cutting someone off vs cutting off
This is the same phrase but without 'someone'. It can mean stopping a supply or isolating a place, not necessarily interrupting a person.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'cutting someone off' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The correct answer uses 'cutting someone off' to mean interrupting someone while they speak. The other options incorrectly use 'cut off' with a physical object, which is not the meaning of this phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cutting someone off”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.