Cut out or cutout?
cut out is a verb meaning “the words cut and out. To sever from something larger and with or as if with a…”; cutout is a noun meaning “Alternative spelling of cut-out”. cut out is written as two words and cutout as one word; they are used differently.
What is the difference between cut out and cutout?
| cut out | cutout | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | verb, adjective, noun | noun |
| Meaning | Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see cut, out. To sever from something larger, with or as if with a sharp-edged instrument informalTo refrain from (doing something, using something etc.), to stop or cease (doing something) Well suited; appropriate; fit for a particular activity or purpose | Alternative spelling of cut-out |
| Example | Cut out the letters and paste them on the poster | none recorded |
| Forms | none | cutouts |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkʌt.aʊt/ /ˈkʌɾ-/ | not recorded |
| In writing | not counted (the list counts single words) | about once in every 1 million words |
Sources: cut out and cutout in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of cut out and cutout
cut out
- 1
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see cut, out. To sever from something larger, with or as if with a sharp-edged instrument
Cut out the letters and paste them on the poster
- 2
Well suited; appropriate; fit for a particular activity or purpose
I'm not really cut out for camping outdoors. I'm allergic to mosquito bites
- 3
A hole or space produced when something is removed by cutting
a dress with cut-out sides
- 4
informalTo refrain from (doing something, using something etc.), to stop or cease (doing something)
He had to cut out smoking in order to be prepared for the marathon
- 5
A piece cut out of something
- 6
To remove; to omit
If we cut out the middle-man, we will both have better profits
- 7
A free-standing, rigid print (usually life-sized), often displayed for promotional purposes; a standee
- 8
To oust; to replace
cutout
- 1
Alternative spelling of cut-out
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, cut out or cutout?
cut out is a phrase, which the list of single words does not count; cutout about once in every 1 million words.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How many people search cut out vs cutout?
“cut out vs cutout” is searched about 50 times a month on Google and 10 on Bing in the United States. Google counts close variants of a query together (“cutout vs cut out”, “cut out or cutout”).
Sources: Google Ads keyword data through DataForSEO and Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, the average month from September 2025 to August 2026.