To Cut Off
To Quit Doing Something
transitive verb, godan verb
Because the hiragana ends with an う sound, you know this word is a verb. The kanji itself means cut off so the verb vocab version is to cut off. Don't confuse this with 断る which means "to refuse." You know this is to cut off because of the つ, which hints that you have had two (つ) too many chocolates, and it's time to cut you off.
URGH! The reading isn't even the same as 断る, how frustrating. to cut off is read as たつ. Instead of eating too many chocolates and getting cut off, maybe you're eating too many tater tots (たつ). Don't eat so many of those, it's unhealthy. You have to cut off tater tots from your diet so you don't get fat.
恋人との関係を断つ方法を教えてください。
Please teach me how to break up with my lover.
お酒を断つべきだってのは、自分でも分かってます。
I know that I should give up drinking.
これでもう逃げ道は断たれてしまった。
This means that there's no longer any way to escape.