to snap or break (e.g. a rope, thread); to split or crack
荷物をくくっていたロープが古くて切れてしまった。
The rope I had tied the luggage with was old and snapped.
釣り糸が大物に引っ張られて切れた。
The fishing line snapped when a big fish pulled on it.
古い傘の骨が折れて、骨と布の接合部が切れた。
The ribs of the old umbrella broke and the joint between the rib and fabric came apart.
to get cut or wounded (e.g. a cut on the skin from a knife or paper)
紙で指が切れて血が出た。
I cut my finger on the paper and it bled.
包丁で手が切れて、消毒して絆創膏を貼った。
I cut my hand with a kitchen knife, disinfected it and put on a bandage.
to become worn out or frayed (material becoming unusable through wear)
古いシャツの袖口が擦れて切れてしまった。
The cuff of my old shirt wore thin and tore.
靴底が切れて歩きにくくなったので買い替えた。
The soles of my shoes wore out and made walking difficult, so I replaced them.
to break, burst, or collapse (e.g. a pipe bursting or a structure failing)
古い水道管が切れて床が水浸しになった。
An old water pipe burst and the floor was flooded.
大雨で土手が切れて町に水が流れ込んだ。
Heavy rain caused the embankment to give way and water flowed into the town.
to stop working or go dead (e.g. a device or battery stops functioning)
時計の電池が切れて時間が止まっていた。
The watch's battery ran out and the time stopped.
照明のヒューズが切れて部屋が暗くなった。
The lighting fuse blew and the room went dark.
to expire (a time limit or validity period); to come due or run out
パスポートの有効期限が切れる前に更新した方がいい。
You should renew your passport before its validity expires.
このクーポンは来月で期限が切れる。
This coupon expires next month.
to run out of stock; to be sold out; to be exhausted
人気商品は発売と同時に在庫が切れてしまった。
The popular item was out of stock as soon as it was released.
ガソリンが切れて車が道路の脇に止まった。
The car ran out of gas and stopped at the side of the road.
to be cut off or disconnected (e.g. a relationship ends, a call is disconnected)
通話中に電波が悪くて電話が切れてしまった。
The signal was bad during the call and the phone got disconnected.
彼とは事故以来連絡が切れてしまった。
I lost contact with him since the accident.
ネット回線が切れて動画が途中で止まった。
The internet connection dropped and the video stopped halfway.
to be sharp or cut well (for knives, scissors, etc.)
この包丁はよく切れるから野菜がきれいに切れる。
This kitchen knife is very sharp, so it slices vegetables cleanly.
新しいハサミは紙も布も簡単に切れる。
The new scissors can easily cut paper and cloth.
包丁の切れ味が落ちたら研がないとよく切れない。
If the knife's sharpness declines, you need to sharpen it or it won't cut well.
to be sharp-minded, keen, or quick-witted; to be able and incisive
彼女は頭が切れるので、難しい相談にもすぐ答えを出す。
She's sharp-minded, so she quickly comes up with solutions to difficult problems.
あの営業は切れるから、顧客との交渉が上手だ。
That salesperson is sharp and good at negotiating with clients.
ニュースの速報にも冷静に対処する、切れる記者だ。
He handles breaking news calmly; he's a sharp reporter.
to fall below a certain figure (to be under a threshold); to beat or go under (a record/time)
参加者数が1000人を切ったと発表された。
It was announced that the number of participants dropped below 1,000.
彼はマラソンで3時間を切るタイムを出した。
He finished the marathon in under three hours.
to dry off or to have moisture drained away (e.g. vegetables after draining)
サラダを作る前に野菜の水気が切れているか確認してください。
Before making the salad, check that the vegetables are well drained.
揚げ物は油切りをして油が切れてから盛り付ける。
For fried foods, drain the oil and serve after the oil has been removed.
to end abruptly or to veer/curve (e.g. a road that ends or changes direction sharply)
地図を見るとこの道は途中で切れているので注意が必要だ。
Looking at the map, this road ends partway through, so be careful.
強風で船の進路が急に切れてしまい、操船が難しかった。
A strong wind suddenly made the boat's course veer off, making navigation difficult.
to cut (the deck) or shuffle/cut cards (in card games)
ディーラーが山を切って公平に配り始めた。
The dealer cut the deck and began dealing fairly.
to get angry suddenly; to snap or lose one's temper (colloquial; often written キレる)
あの人は小さなことでよくキレるから注意して接したほうがいい。
That person often snaps over small things, so it's best to be careful when dealing with them.
店員がミスをして客が突然キレた。
The customer suddenly blew up when the clerk made a mistake.
長時間の待ちで父がキレてクレームを言い始めた。
After waiting for a long time, my father lost his temper and started complaining.
auxiliary verb attached to the -masu stem indicating ability to do something completely (to be able to finish/complete an action)
こんなに大きなケーキを一人で食べ切れる？
Can you finish such a large cake by yourself?
締め切りまでにこの仕事をやり切れるか不安だ。
I'm worried whether I can finish this work before the deadline.
こんな量、誰が飲み切れるんだろう。
I wonder who could possibly drink all of this.