From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcut somebody/something off phrasal verb1 PRICE OF somethingSEPARATEseparate cut something ↔ off to separate something by cutting it away from the main part One of his fingers was cut off in the accident.cut something off something Cut the fat off the meat.2 STOP THE SUPPLYREMOVEstop supply cut something ↔ off to stop the supply of something such as electricity, gas, water etc The gas had been cut off. The US has threatened to cut off economic and military aid.3 get cut offTCT to suddenly not be able to hear someone that you were speaking to on the telephone I don’t know what happened – we just got cut off.4 be cut off a) if a place is cut off, people cannot leave it or reach it In winter, the town is often cut off by snow. b) to be a long way from other places and be difficult to get to Accessible only by air, the town is cut off from the rest of the country. c) if someone is cut off, they are lonely and not able to meet many other people Many older people feel cut off and isolated.5 STOP BEING FRIENDLYSEPARATEstop being friendly cut somebody ↔ off to stop having a friendly relationship with someone Julia had been completely cut off by all her family and friends.cut yourself off (from somebody) After his wife died, he cut himself off completely from the rest of the world. 6 interrupt to interrupt someone and stop them from finishing what they were saying Emma cut him off in mid-sentence.7 prevent something cut somebody off from something to prevent someone from having something that they need or want The project aims to ensure that poorer people are not cut off from the benefits of computer technology.8 MONEY/PROPERTYSCLmoney/property to refuse to let someone receive your money or property, especially when you die My parents threatened to cut me off without a penny if I married him.9 driving cut somebody ↔ off American English to suddenly drive in front of a moving car in a dangerous way A man in a station wagon cut me off on the freeway.10 cut off your nose to spite your faceHARM/BE BAD FOR to do something because you are angry, even though it will harm you → cut→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
get cut off• I don't know what happened - we just got cut off.• But my time on the Internet can range from only a few minutes to several hours before I get cut off.• Hi I was looking for Carolyn I think I got cut off.be cut off• We appear to be cut off and the look of the whole area is old fashioned.• His main source of strength was cut off as was their mutual ability to deal realistically with the problems.• I am cut off at the waist for ever.• Sometimes the sea is so rough that the islands are cut off from the mainland for weeks at a time.• Accessible only by air, the town is cut off from the rest of the country.• If he did, and the news reached the States, the money would be cut off immediately.• The consequences of this dependence were seen when the flow was cut off so abruptly after 1982.• When the tops of the posts are cut off, they will be level with the tops of the beams.cut yourself off (from somebody)• How much easier to cut yourself off from all these problems and withdraw emotionally into the less demanding machine of prison life.• Therefore, in throwing away his pipe, he intentionally cuts himself off from human pleasures and the ties of home.• Unbeknownst to us, they cut themselves off from interaction that could help them develop a sense of reality.• In effect I'd cut myself off from other kids of my own age.• You cut yourself off from other people and from your true feelings.• But, says the bank, countries that have cut themselves off from the global economy have slipped behind.• I slid Lewis's helmet on and cut myself off from the world.• We build walls around ourselves and cut ourselves off from those who would empathize with and even help us.cut somebody off from something• The denial of tenderness cuts them off from communication with wives and children.• I have been so hungry that I have cut the blood off from crackers and eaten them.• The inadequacy of communications cut Nice off from its hinterland, and condemned the entire county to poverty.• You cut yourself off from other people and from your true feelings.• But, says the bank, countries that have cut themselves off from the global economy have slipped behind.• Yet these four were all we had to cut us off from the rest of the hall.• It turned the party in on itself and cut it off from the wider society.• I slid Lewis's helmet on and cut myself off from the world.cut off your nose to spite your face• If you love him, ask him to stay. Otherwise you'll be cutting off your nose to spite your face.cut-offˈcut-off, cutoff /ˈkʌtɒf $ -ɒːf/ noun 1 [countable usually singular]LIMIT a limit or level at which you stop doing something → deadlinecut-off date/point/score etc (=the date etc when you stop doing something) The cut-off date for registration is July 2.2 [countable usually singular] when you completely stop doing something or supplying somethingcut-off of A full-scale cut-off of US aid would be a disaster.3 → cutoffsExamples from the Corpus
cut-off• The government threatens a cut-off of welfare aid if another child is born.• The use of highly productive equipment means that bonus cut-off can be achieved with ease.cut-off date/point/score etc• The short-term goal will represent a cut-off point that will trigger reinforcement or recognition for performance improvement.• Is there a cut-off point beyond which some segregation is necessary?• However, by taking such a high cut-off point the specificity and positive predictive value of the test were reduced.• However, if you are the proud parent of more valuable Koi fry, where is the cut-off point for outdoor survival?• Unionists insisted that the conference would mark the cut-off point for the round table talks.• This again serves to highlight the importance of the cut-off point in determining estimates of illness prevalence.• The cut-off date for registration with a share information office or share shop is July 2. 