I feel like a cut is a very specific type of weight loss where the person gets down to an unusually low body fat %. It’s to the point where each bit of fat loss is a significant portion of your body’s fat reserves. It seems different from when there is an abundance of easily accessible fat to burn.

Well, bulking and cutting cycles are pretty common for anyone beyond the beginniner stage when wanting to add muscle mass, even if they're more recreational or a powerlifter or whatever. It's just way more efficient to be in a large enough surplus to make hitting your macros easier and then diet after than it is to try and be super careful about it. The powerlifters aren't worried about getting down to that show ready <10%, they're just trying to not be fat, and they still lose some muscle.