cut back

verb

1. To reduce the amount of (something).

   “The foliage is out of control and needs to be cut back.”

   “Some U.S. banks are cutting back their dealings with embassies and other foreign institutions in the United States because of the difficulty of complying with money-laundering rules, the Wall Street Journal reported.”

2. To reduce spending.

   “We need to cut back heavily on office supplies. Is there another vendor we can use?”

3. To reduce consumption.

   “He needs to cut back on doughnuts. He weighs 289 pounds!”

   “I've cut back to one pack of cigarettes a week.”

4. To perform the cutback maneuver.

   “I cut back again myself and went over the top of the wave.”

5. To use a short cut; to move to a location to block someone; to cut someone off

   “He almost scored but the defender cut back to him.”