cut your losses

cut (one's) losses

To stop an action that has resulted in loss or failure or leave a failing situation before it gets worse. Man, this venture is going nowhere—I think we're better off cutting our losses than agreeing to rent this space for another year.

See also: cut, loss

cut your losses

COMMON If you cut your losses, you decide to stop spending time, energy, or money on an activity or situation on which you have already spent a lot without having any success. Competition in the market was so strong, we decided to cut our losses and close the business. Only you can decide if you should push on to the end of your degree or cut your losses and get out.

See also: cut, loss

cut your losses

abandon an enterprise or course of action that is clearly going to be unprofitable or unsuccessful before you suffer too much loss or harm.

The sense of cut here is probably ‘sever yourself from’ rather than ‘reduce in size’.

1991 Jane Smiley A Thousand Acres Ginny is eternally hopeful, you know. She never cuts her losses. She always thinks things could change.

See also: cut, loss

cut your ˈlosses

stop doing something that is not successful before the situation becomes even worse: When our rent went up we decided to cut our losses and close the store.

See also: cut, loss