From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcut back phrasal verb1 REDUCEto reduce the amount, size, cost etc of something on Several major hospitals are cutting back on staff at the moment.cut something ↔ back Education spending cannot be cut back any further. Richer countries must do more to cut back carbon emissions. → cutback2 cut something ↔ backDLG to remove the top part of a plant in order to help it to grow Cut back the shoots in spring to encourage bushier growth.3 to eat, drink, or use less of something, especially in order to improve your health on Try to cut back on foods containing wheat and dairy products. → cut→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
cut back• Labour councillors have already pointed out that spending restrictions imposed by the Government will mean crucial services could be cut back.• Schools and hospitals could suffer as a result of government cutbacks.• There has been a significant cutback in the defence budget this year.• Public or private, Amstrad will have to cut back as there are no blockbuster products in the pipeline, Sugar warns.• We have had to cut expenditure back in an effort to increase profits.• Her friends know that she is under stress and have warned her to cut back on her workload.• Chrysler has already suspended production at one of its main assembly plants and cut back on managerial staff.• Take the stairs. Cut back on those juicy burgers.• The Chancellor has also cut back tax relief on relocation packages for employees.• Banks got into the act when they realized that they too could cut back their exposure to a dangerous and cyclical world.• Our budget has been cut back this year.• If she can afford it, she cuts back to part-time work or stops entirely.• Farmers have agreed to cut back wheat production.cut on• Do you have any suggestions for cutting back on fats in cooking? 