cut your losses
Meaning
Stop an unprofitable effort to prevent further loss; accept what’s already lost and move on.
Origin
From the literal idea of “cutting off” part of a loss (especially in business/trading) to stop it from growing; recorded in financial contexts and later generalized to any situation.
Notes
Common in finance/business and everyday talk. It implies pragmatic acceptance—stop now to avoid bigger losses. Can sound blunt or defeatist depending on context.
Examples
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After three months of slow sales, we decided to cut our losses and close the store.
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The stock kept dropping, so she cut her losses and sold before it fell further.
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If the project isn’t working, it’s better to cut your losses now than waste another year.
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He realized the relationship was unhealthy and chose to cut his losses and move on.
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We tried negotiating for weeks, but in the end we cut our losses and walked away from the deal.
Grammar & Usage Notes
Fixed phrase: usually “cut your losses,” but pronoun can change (cut my/his/their losses). Often used with should/decide to: “We decided to cut our losses (and leave).”
Synonyms
- stop the bleeding
- pull the plug
- bail out
- cut and run
- quit while you're behind
Antonyms
- stick it out
- see it through
- double down