make the cut
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Be recruited.
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
But despite leading after the first round with a 71 he failed to make the four - round cut.
The same I'm afraid applies to the two competitors from our region, Sarah Niklin and Nina Holloway haven't made the cut and will take no further part in the tournament.
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Figurative class: Metaphor (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).
Common questions
What does “make the cut” mean?
Be recruited.
Is “make the cut” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.