cutting

cutting — noun

1. a short article or image removed from a newspaper, magazine, or other printed pu

1.nounB1
Definition

a short article or image removed from a newspaper, magazine, or other printed publication, usually to keep or share

Example

Grandma kept a box of old newspaper clippings about the royal wedding in her wardrobe.

collocation: newspaper clippings

Chidi stuck a magazine cutting with a chicken curry recipe on his fridge.

cutting + from + [source]

Common collocations
  • newspaper cutting
  • press cutting
  • magazine cutting
  • a cutting from
Synonyms
  • clipping

    more common in American English, but identical in meaning

  • excerpt

    can refer to a piece of text from any source, not just a printed publication

Grammar Patterns

a cutting from + [newspaper/magazine]

Usage Note

The pattern a cutting from + [source] is very common. People often say newspaper cutting, press cutting, or magazine cutting before the noun clipping is more common in American English.

Common Mistakes

I read a cutting on the bus.
I read a newspaper clipping on the bus.
Without newspaper or magazine before it, a cutting alone does not clearly refer to a printed article from a publication.

2. a small section taken from a parent plant, like a stem or leaf, that can be plac

2.nounB1
Definition

a small section taken from a parent plant, like a stem or leaf, that can be placed in soil or water where it will develop roots and become a separate, mature plant

Example

Gabriela took a cutting from a neighbour's rose bush and planted it at home.

verb pattern: take a cutting from [plant]

To grow more mint, place a cutting in water near a sunny window.

Common collocations
  • take a cutting
  • root a cutting
  • plant a cutting
  • stem cutting
  • leaf cutting
Synonyms
  • slip

    informal term for a small stem cutting, especially in British gardening

  • offshoot

    refers to a new growth from the parent plant, not a deliberately removed section

Grammar Patterns

take a cutting

a cutting from + [plant]

Usage Note

Take a cutting is the most common verb pair. A cutting can come from many parts of a plant: stem cutting, leaf cutting, or root cutting.

Common Mistakes

I need to buy a cutting of tomatoes from the shop.
I need to buy tomato seeds from the shop.
Cutting refers to taking a piece of an existing plant to grow a new one. Most vegetables are grown from seeds, not cuttings.

3. a man-made channel dug through a hill or raised land, allowing vehicles or train

3.nounC1
Definition

a man-made channel dug through a hill or raised land, allowing vehicles or trains to travel at a consistent height without climbing the slope

Example

The train went through a deep cutting in the hillside just before the coastal station.

through a [adjective] cutting

Workers used explosives to blast a cutting for the new motorway through solid rock.

create a cutting for + [road]

Common collocations
  • railway cutting
  • road cutting
  • deep cutting
  • through a cutting
Synonyms
  • trench

    usually narrower and dug for pipes or military purposes, not typically for roads or rails

  • channel

    can refer to a water passage or a man-made cut, but is broader in meaning

Antonyms
  • embankment

    a raised structure built to carry a road or railway above the surrounding land

Grammar Patterns

[road/railway] + cutting

Usage Note

Common in British English and in technical descriptions of transport infrastructure. The opposite of a cutting is an embankment, where the road or railway is built up above the surrounding ground.

Common Mistakes

The car drove through a cutting in the forest.
The car drove through a gap in the trees.
Cutting in this sense refers specifically to a man-made passage for transport routes through high ground, not just any opening in nature.

4. a piece that has been detached from a larger object by slicing or trimming, ofte

4.nounB2
Definition

a piece that has been detached from a larger object by slicing or trimming, often a leftover or fragment

Example

The chef tossed the vegetable cuttings into the compost bin behind the restaurant kitchen.

collocation: vegetable cuttings / compost

Rania saved the fabric cuttings from her dress project to make a small patchwork bag.

fabric cuttings + [project]

Common collocations
  • vegetable cuttings
  • fabric cuttings
  • paper cuttings
  • diamond cutting
Synonyms
  • offcut

    British English term for a leftover piece of material, especially in woodworking or construction

  • remnant

    usually refers to a leftover piece of fabric or carpet sold at a discount

Grammar Patterns

[material] + cuttings

Usage Note

Frequently used in the plural (cuttings) to describe small leftover pieces from cooking, sewing, woodwork, or manufacturing. In singular, it usually refers to a single shaped piece like a gemstone or metal part.

Common Mistakes

I bought some paper cuttings for my scrapbook.' (when meaning pre-decorated paper)
I bought some patterned paper for my scrapbook.
Cuttings are leftover pieces from a cutting activity, not a product you purchase by name.

cutting — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Cutting, biting, caustic, and wounding all describe speech that hurts, but each emphasises a different quality. Cutting (the most frequent of the four) suggests a single, sharp remark that slices into someone's feelings — like a blade. Biting implies cleverness behind the sting; a biting comment is often witty and memorable. Caustic is more formal and suggests a corrosive, sustained harshness — someone who is caustic habitually uses sharp language that 'burns away' at others. Wounding focuses purely on the emotional injury, regardless of the style of words used. For example, 'Her cutting remark about his accent made him go quiet' (quick, targeted pain). 'The critic's caustic review dismissed every actor's performance' (harsh, thorough). 'His wounding words stayed with her for years' (lasting emotional effect).

cutting ↗bitingcausticwounding

Common collocations

Prepositions

Etymology

Old NorseMiddle EnglishEnglish

Cutting comes from the verb cut, which entered Middle English around the 1300s as cutten, probably borrowed from Old Norse kuta or related Scandinavian words. The -ing suffix was added to form both the noun (the thing produced by cutting) and the adjective (describing something that feels like a cut). By the 1500s, cutting had developed a metaphorical meaning: words that 'cut' emotionally, like a blade cutting the skin. The cold sense (a cutting wind) follows the same metaphor — cold that feels sharp enough to pierce you.