Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - cut off

1. If you cut something off, you remove it with a knife or a similar tool. Mrs Kreutz cut off a generous piece of the meat... He cut me off a slice... He threatened to cut my hair off. PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), V n P n (not pron), V n P 2. To cut someone or something off means to separate them from things that they are normally connected with. One of the goals of the campaign is to cut off the elite Republican Guard from its supplies... The storm has cut us off. = isolate PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron) from n, V n P • cut off Without a car we still felt very cut off. ADJ 3. To cut off a supply of something means to stop providing it or stop it being provided. The rebels have cut off electricity from the capital... Why cut the money off? PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), V n P 4. If you get cut off when you are on the telephone, the line is suddenly disconnected and you can no longer speak to the other person. When you do get through, you’ve got to say your piece quickly before you get cut off... I’m going to cut you off now because we’ve got lots of callers waiting. = disconnect PHRASAL VERB: get/be V-ed P, V n P 5. If you cut someone off when they are speaking, you interrupt them and stop them from speaking. ‘But, sir, I’m under orders to–’ Clark cut him off. ‘Don’t argue with me.’ PHRASAL VERB: V n P, also V P n (not pron) 6. to cut off your nose to spite your face: see spite see also cut-off