Definition

Noun: 1. A device that stops the flow of something: A mechanical or electrical device designed to stop or interrupt the flow of a substance (like water or gas) or a process (like electricity). 2. A shorter route: A new, more direct path that bypasses a longer or more circuitous section of a road, river, or other route. 3. A designated limit or point of termination: A fixed point in time, quantity, or level beyond which something is no longer allowed, valid, or functional.

Usage Examples

• As a device:
  • The safety engineer activated the emergency cutoff to stop the gas leak.
  • Make sure you know where the water cutoff valve is located in your house.
• As a shorter route:
  • We took the new cutoff and saved twenty minutes on our trip.
  • The canal created a cutoff across the bend in the river.
• As a limit or termination point:
  • The application cutoff is Friday at 5:00 PM; no submissions will be accepted after that.
  • The age cutoff for the junior league is 12 years old.

Advanced Usage

• "to be a cutoff": Can describe a person or thing that is isolated or separated.
  • The small village was a cutoff community, accessible only by boat.
• In statistics: Refers to a threshold value used to classify data.
  • Researchers used a p-value cutoff of 0.05 to determine statistical significance.

Variants and Related Words

• Cut off (phrasal verb): To remove by cutting; to stop or interrupt; to isolate.
  • The barber cut off a long piece of hair.
  • The storm cut off electricity to the town.
• Cut-off (adjective): Describes something that has been stopped or has a defined limit.
  • She wore cut-off jeans.
  • We missed the cut-off date for registration.

Synonyms

• Limit, deadline, terminus (for a point of termination).
• Shortcut, bypass (for a shorter route).
• Valve, stop, switch (for a device).

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Cut off: This is the verbal form from which the noun "cutoff" is derived.
  • Please cut off the engine. (Stop the flow of fuel/operation.)
  • He was cut off in the middle of his sentence. (Interrupted.)

Related Idioms

• Cutoff point: The specific limit where something ends.
  • What is the cutoff point for a distinction grade in this course?
• Cut off from: Isolated or disconnected from.
  • After the landslide, the town was cut off from the main highway.

Noun

1. a device that terminates the flow in a pipe
2. a route shorter than the usual one
3. a designated limit beyond which something cannot function or must be terminated