Cut off means to stop a supply or interrupt something (water, power, a call, a person who is speaking), or to separate someone from other people. About water and electricity, “cut off” is used when the supply is stopped: The power was cut off after the storm. “Be cut off from” means to be isolated, without contact with people: Without the internet, I feel cut off.
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cut off + gas/water/power; be cut off from + place/people; cut + person + off
- The water will be cut off from ten to two while they repair the pipes.
- Please don't cut me off; let me finish my point first.
- Living alone in a new country, I often felt cut off from my friends and family.
What changed
First versionAfter the heavy snow, the village was cut from the nearest town for three days.
RevisionAfter the heavy snow, the village was cut off from the nearest town for three days.
It may seem that “from” is enough to show separation, but in English the separation is expressed by “off”, and “from” only names what the village was cut off from: “cut off from the nearest town”. “Cut” without “off” just means “cut with a knife” or “reduce”.
“Turn off” means to switch something off yourself, with a button or a tap: Turn off the lights before you leave. “Cut off” means that the supply is stopped from outside, usually without your agreement: Our gas was cut off for repairs.
Your turn
We didn't pay the electricity bill for three months, so the company ___ our power.
Show the answer
cut off — Because of the unpaid bills, the company stopped the electricity supply completely, which is “cut off”. “Cut down” means “reduce”, and for your own habits people say “cut down on”: cut down on sugar. Power isn't reduced for unpaid bills, it is cut off.
Think of a time when you were left without internet, water or electricity. Say what was cut off and how long you went without it.
Our hot water was cut off for two weeks in July, so I showered at the gym near my office.
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