cut off
SeparableThe object can go before or after the particle — but a pronoun MUST go in the middle: “clean it up”, never “clean up it”.
How to say it
Stress the particle, not the verb: cut OFF. Saying “CUT off” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.
The /t/ flaps. Between vowels, American /t/ and /d/ both become a quick tap, so “cut off” comes out as “cu-doff” — closer to a fast D than a T. Drop a pronoun in the middle and it flaps twice: “cut it off” → “cu-di-doff”.
Verb vs noun
As a noun the stress flips to the front: the verb is cut OFF, the noun is CUTOFF. Same two words, different beat — “to cut OFF” is the action, “a cutoff” is the thing. Getting this backwards makes the sentence land oddly even when every sound is right.
3 meanings
- 1
To disconnect a supply or a service.
- “They cut off the electricity after three missed payments.”
- “The call was cut off halfway through.”
Similar: disconnect
- 2
To interrupt someone who is speaking.
- “He cut me off before I finished the sentence.”
Similar: interrupt
- 3
To isolate a place or a person.
- “The snow cut off the village for four days.”
Similar: isolate