cut down on

NOUN

[/kʌt daʊn ɑːn/]

to reduce the amount or number of something

💡 Concept

He's trying to cut down on coffee, so he switched to one small cup a day.

🎵 Rhyme

Cut down on distractions, shut down the noise, put down the phone!

Got the picture? Now let's practice.

Start Free Demo

🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/kʌt daʊn ɑːn/

🇬🇧 UK/kʌt daʊn ɒn/

🌳Etymology

Rootcut

Origin

This phrasal verb emerged from Old English 'cuttan' (to cut) combined with the adverb 'down' and preposition 'on'. The phrase developed from the literal sense of cutting downward to reduce or diminish something, evolving to mean reducing consumption or frequency of a specific activity or substance.

Breakdown

cut (Old English 'cuttan': to sever or divide) + down (adverb indicating reduction or decrease) + on (preposition specifying the target of reduction, forming the phrasal verb meaning to decrease or limit consumption of something specific).

🎵Rhyme

shut downput down

shut down

put down

🔗Collocations

cut down on expenses

cut down on smoking

cut down on caffeine

cut down on working hours

cut down on waste

📝Examples

😄 Fun example

“My doctor told me to cut down on pizza after I gained 20 pounds last month.”

“She decided to cut down on social media to focus on her studies.”

😄 Fun example

“I'm trying to cut down on my shopping addiction, but these sales keep tempting me!”

“The company needs to cut down on unnecessary meetings to improve productivity.”

📚Related Words

Synonyms

reducedecreasediminishlimitrestrict

Antonyms

increaseboostexpand

cut backscale downtrimcurtail

Want to master 19,000+ words?

Start for Free 60s Demo

cut down on — to reduce the amount or number of something

Example Sentences