n. 1. a reduction in quantity or rate; a reduction in the amount of an activity or the funding for an activity; as, cutbacks in government research funding increased unemployment among scientists; the recession caused a cutback in auto production. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ] 2. a return to an earlier scene or story line in a novel, movie, etc. [ PJC ] 3. (Sports) a sudden switching of directions of a running football player, a surfboarder, etc. [ PJC ] |