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cut out

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cut out
cut out phrasal verb (see also cut)
1.  REMOVE SOMETHING cut something ↔ out to remove something by cutting round it:
    The cancerous cells had to be cut out.
    cut something ↔ out of
    Billy showed me the article he’d cut out of the magazine.
2.  CUT A SHAPE cut something ↔ out to cut a shape from a piece of paper, cloth etc:
    The children were cutting out squares from the scraps of material.
3.  STOP SOMETHING HAPPENING cut something ↔ out to stop something from happening or existing:
    The idea behind these forms is to cut out fraud.
    A catalytic converter will cut out 90% of carbon monoxide emissions.
4.  STOP DOING/EATING SOMETHING cut something ↔ out to stop doing or eating something, especially because it might be bad for your health:
    The current advice to pregnant women is to cut out alcohol.
5.  FROM WRITING cut something ↔ out to remove something from a piece of writing, especially because it might offend people:
    Cut out the bit about racial prejudice.
6. cut it/that out spoken used to tell someone to stop doing something because it is annoying you:
    Hey, you guys, cut it out – Mom’s trying to get some sleep.
7.  NOT INVOLVE SOMEBODY cut somebody ↔ out to stop someone from doing something or being involved in something:
    The new rules will cut out 25% of people who were previously eligible to vote.
8. be cut out for something (also be cut out to be something) [usually in questions and negatives] to have the qualities that you need for a particular job or activity:
    In the end, I decided I wasn’t cut out for the army.
    Are you sure you’re really cut out to be a teacher?
9.  ENGINE if an engine or machine cuts out, it suddenly stops working:
    The engine cut out halfway across the lake.
10.  LIGHT/VIEW cut something ↔ out to prevent light, sound etc from reaching somewhere:
    You’ll need sunglasses that will cut out harmful UV rays from the sun.
11. cut somebody out to prevent someone from getting something, especially your money after your death:
    Em’s father decided to cut her out of his will.
have your work cut out at work2(15), ⇨ cut out the middleman at middleman