cut a swath
cut a swath is the alternative form of cut a wide swath.
Meaning of cut a wide swath
Verb
cut a wide swath (third-person singular simple present cuts a wide swath, present participle cutting a wide swath, simple past and past participle cut a wide swath)
- To clear a broad track through a grassland, woodland, geographical region, or other area, either by natural means or by human action.
- Sherman started from Atlanta in the middle of November. He cut a wide swath of desolation through the South.1876, William Swinton, A Condensed School History of the United States, Ivison, Blakeman, and Taylor (New York), p. 277
- Synonyms:
- blaze a trail, cut a swath
- To behave in an expansive, flagrantly showy, or pushy manner, especially in public venues; to exert sweeping influence.
- Girls who like to cut a wide swath ought to come out to China, for they will have enough flattery and attention to turn their heads.1899, Delight Sweetser Prentiss, One Way Round the World, 2nd edition, Bowen-Merrill, page 124
Forms of cut a swath
| third-person singular present | cuts a swath |
|---|---|
| present participle | cutting a swath |
| past participle | cut a swath |
| past | cut a swath |
| alternative form | cut a swathe |
Questions about cut a swath
- What is cut a swath the alternative form of?
- Cut a swath is the alternative form of cut a wide swath.
Words near cut a swath in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: cut a swath (page history and authors); cut a wide swath (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-au-cut a swath.ogg.
Cite this entry: “cut a swath.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/cut_a_swath. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.