Abstract:A long time ago, nature proved that even the hardest engineering materials change their shape and form when water is applied to them. The new shape formed by this phenomenon can be both valuable and/or attractive. In modern industry, water cutting technology is divided into two groups. Water jet cutting technology, which is cutting with pure water and abrasive water jet cutting technology, which uses water embedded with fine abrasive particles. Clean water jet cutting technology is suitable for "soft engineering materials" for instance paper, wood, textiles, food and plastic. It is extensively used technology in industries to cut almost everything from frozen chickens to one-use diapers. On the other hand, when "hard engineering materials" need to be cut, the addition of fine abrasive particles such as garnet allows one to cut almost any engineering material whether it be marble (as used in Al-Masjid Al-Haram, The Holy Mosque, in Makkah, KSA) or tool steel, and in thickness up to 200 mm. In this review paper, the primary objective is to highlight the state-of-the-art of the abrasive water jet cutting technology and the promise for micro-and nano-machining in modern industry.