1 A2 neutral
To use a knife or other tool to make a cut in or through something.
"She cut into the roast chicken to check if it was cooked through."
inseparable
cut into
B1 neutral inseparable transitive
To make a cut or incision into a surface; or to reduce or take a significant portion from something.
In plain English
To slice into something, or to use up a big part of your money or time.
What does "cut into" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 idiomatic neutral
To reduce or take a significant share of something such as money or time.
"The new rent increase is really cutting into our monthly budget."
inseparable
3 B2 idiomatic neutral
To interrupt someone who is speaking.
"He cut into our conversation with a remark that silenced everyone."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To move a cutting instrument into the surface of something.
Actually means
To slice into something, or to use up a big part of your money or time.
Usage tip
Common in both literal (cooking, surgery) and figurative (finance, time) contexts. The figurative sense ('cut into our profits') is frequent in business English.
Words that pair with "cut into"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
profit savings meat cake schedule budget
How to conjugate "cut into"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
cut into
I/you/we/they
3rd person
cuts into
he/she/it
Past simple
cut into
yesterday
Past participle
cut into
have + pp
-ing form
cutting into
continuous
Hear "cut into" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "cut into" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
Jump to every phrasal verb built on the same verb, particle, or level.