cut through transitive verb[cut through something] 1. (sever) 切割开 qiēgē kāi ‹metal, stone›; 锯开 jùkāi ‹wood›to cut through red tape 免掉繁文缛节 2. (penetrate) 溶解 róngjiě ‹grease›; figurative «wind» 吹透 chuītòu ‹coat›; «sound» 打破 dǎpò ‹silence›3. (move through) 穿行于 chuānxíng yú ‹water, air›to cut through the waves «boat» 破浪而行