AAAmerican Accent US

cut down on

Inseparable

The verb and particle never split. The object always follows the whole phrase.

How to say it

Main stress lands on the first particle: cut DOWN on. The trailing “on” reduces almost to nothing — expect a schwa, not a full vowel.

Do not release the /t/. Before the consonant of “down” the stop is held and swallowed rather than popped — the same unreleased-stop move as in hot dog. One smooth unit: “cut down”.

What it means

To consume less of something.
- “Craig was trying to cut down on sugar for health reasons.”
- “I'm cutting down on coffee after four in the afternoon.”
Similar: reduce, cut back on

The particle logic

Something decreases, collapses, settles, or gets recorded.

Something starts running, keeps running, or sits on a surface.

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More CUT phrasal verbs

Compare the whole family →

cut down

To reduce the amount of something.

cut back

To reduce spending or activity.

cut off

To disconnect a supply or a service.

cut out

To remove a section by cutting.

cut in

To interrupt a conversation.

cut up

To cut something into many pieces.

cut through

To take a shorter route across something.

cut down on — meaning, examples & how to say it