cut up
Britishverb
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to cut into pieces
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to inflict injuries on
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informal (usually passive) to affect the feelings of deeply
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informal to subject to severe criticism
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informal (of a driver) to overtake or pull in front of (another driver) in a dangerous manner
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informal to become angry or bad-tempered
noun
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Divide into smaller parts, break the continuity of, as in These meetings have cut up my whole day . [c. 1800]
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Severely censure or criticize, as in The reviewer cut up the book mercilessly . [Mid-1700s]
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be cut up . Be distressed or saddened, as in I was terribly cut up when she left . [Mid-1800s] Charles Dickens used this idiom in A Christmas Carol (1844): “Scrooge was not so dreadfully cut up by the sad event.”
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Behave in a playful, comic, or boisterous way, as in On the last night of camp the children usually cut up . [Late 1800s]
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cut up rough . Act in a rowdy, angry, or violent way, as in After a beer or two the boys began to cut up rough . [ Slang ; first half of 1800s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Groupon announced in a security filing this month that it will cut up to 400 jobs, or nearly 25% of its worldwide workforce, as part of a broader restructuring plan to make the platform AI-native.
From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026
Take, for example, the viral “snackle box,” which contains multiple compartments to hold everything from your favorite packaged snacks and candies to cut up fruit and vegetables.
From Salon • May 17, 2026
The company reportedly plans to cut up to 20% of its workforce, which Nowak estimated could save between $3 billion and $10 billion annually, and increase earnings per share by over $1 in 2027.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026
If he has to increase to $30 by 2032, he said he would need to cut up to a dozen servers while installing QR codes for diners to order on their phones.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026
“I bet he was cut up about Chrissie though,” said Ruth.
From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
