Skip to the meanings
Slova
Start learning
Menu

Cut up meaning

Cut up means to cut something into small pieces. It can also mean to feel very sad about something, used as be cut up.

Check yourself: 3 questions

cut something up

cut up · cut · cutting

B1Separable+1 more meaning

Can you cut up the onions while I start the rice?

Cut up meanings and examples

2 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.

  1. 1cut something into small pieces
  2. 2feel very sad about something, used as be cut up
  1. 1

    Cut something into small pieces

    cut something up

    B1Separable

    • Can you cut up the onions while I start the rice?
    • I cut her sandwich up into little squares.
    • These apples are for the kids. I’ll cut them up.
  2. 2

    Feel very sad about something, used as be cut up

    cut up

    B2No object

    • She was really cut up when her cat died.
    • He’s still cut up about losing his job.
    • Is Sam OK? He seemed pretty cut up yesterday.
Slova

Use cut up in real conversations

  • Learn new words with picture cards
  • Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
  • Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Free to join · 50% off at launchStart learning with Slova

Is cut up separable?

Cut up is separable: cut up the meat or cut the meat up. With a pronoun, it goes in the middle: cut it up.

The sad meaning is informal and mostly UK. It is used with be: be cut up about something. In UK driving, cut someone up means drive in front of them dangerously.

Verb tenses for cut up

PresentI cut up · she cuts up
Pastcut up
Present perfecthave cut up
-ing formcutting up

Common mistakes with cut up

What learners often say, and what to say instead.

  • Wrong: The steak is too big. Can you cut up it?

    Right: The steak is too big. Can you cut it up?

    A pronoun goes between cut and up.

  • Wrong: Cut up the carrots in small pieces.

    Right: Cut up the carrots into small pieces.

    Use into for the result: into pieces, into squares.

  • Wrong: She’s very cut up for her exam result.

    Right: She’s very cut up about her exam result.

    Use about after be cut up.

Synonyms and opposites of cut up

Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.

Similar

Opposite

  • keep wholeleave something in one piece
  • stick togetherjoin pieces into one

Cut up quiz

Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.

  1. 1Little kids can’t eat a whole apple, so I ___ it ___.

  2. 2Choose the right sentence.

  3. 3“Jack is really cut up about the break-up.” How does Jack feel?

More phrasal verbs with cut

5 phrasal verbs start with cut. Test yourself on all of them in a few minutes.

Test yourself on cutTake the full test

Cut up FAQ

Questions people ask about cut up.

What is the difference between cut up and chop?

Both mean cut into pieces. Chop is mostly for food and means quick cuts with a big knife. Cut up is more general: cut up a credit card.

What does cut up mean in British slang?

Be cut up means feel very sad: She’s cut up about it. When driving, cut someone up means pull in front of them too closely.

Is cut up separable?

Yes. Cut up the cake and cut the cake up are both correct. With it or them, say cut it up.

Use cut up in real conversations

In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.

Start learning English
All free tools