make the cut

verb

To succeed at something or meet a requirement; to be chosen out of a field of candidates or possibilities.

“Out of a pool of 20 applicants, only three made the cut.”

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Meanings

verbmake the cut (third-person singular simple present makes the cut, present participle making the cut, simple past and past participle made the cut)

present singular third person makes the cut · participle present making the cut · participle past made the cut · past made the cut

  1. idiomaticinformalTo succeed at something or meet a requirement; to be chosen out of a field of candidates or possibilities.

    Out of a pool of 20 applicants, only three made the cut.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
cut the mustardmake the grade

Origin

From the sport of golf, in which players are said to make the cut when they match or exceed a certain score, thus avoiding elimination during the final two rounds of a four-round tournament.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

make the cut. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/make%20the%20cut

MLA

“make the cut.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/make%20the%20cut. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “make the cut,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/make%20the%20cut.

Source: make the cut on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.