make the cut

(verb) to be able to pass from one round of competition to the next

Example Sentences:

The olympic athlete trained for hours every day in order to make the cut as a competitive swimmer.

I was happy because I made the cut and was allowed to compete in the finals!

A: What are the chances of you making the cut tonight?
B: We have a good, strong team, and we want to win. I think we’ll move to the next round.

A: Did your team make the playoffs?
B: No, we didn’t make the cut.

From the News:

Weir, Ames make the cut at U.S. Open

Media:

Similar idioms:

1. make hay while the sun shines
2. cut out for something
3. cut one’s teeth
4. make a mountain out of a molehill
5. make short work of something
6. make up
7. cut corners
8. cut off one’s nose to spite one’s face
9. cut to the chase
10. cut it
11. make lemonade out of lemons
12. make-or-break
13. cut down on