slash-and-burn
adjective
1
: characterized or developed by felling and burning trees to clear land especially for temporary agriculture
2
: extremely ruthless and unsparing
slash-and-burn tactics
slash-and-burn criticism
Examples of slash-and-burn in a Sentence
under his slash-and-burn management ethic, even longtime employees were summarily downsized for the sake of corporate competitiveness
Recent Examples on the Web
Congress and the courts must do everything possible to stop the federal administration's slash-and-burn tactics.
—
Mohammed Soliman, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025
The Tesla and SpaceX mogul is a key ally of Trump, leading his slash-and-burn effort to cut government spending with his Department of Government Efficiency.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2025
Trump’s slash-and-burn approach has hurt nearly every college revenue stream.
—Emma Whitford, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025
The duo have, since this spring, held rallies across the country to harness populist anger at President Donald Trump and his billionaire adviser Elon Musk’s slash-and-burn approach to federal governance.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 4 Apr. 2025
But, shockingly, not everyone is thrilled with Musk’s slash-and-burn approach to gutting the federal government.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2025
As Elon Musk's slash-and-burn budget cuts hit Republican and Democratic areas alike, some GOP lawmakers are privately back-channeling with the Trump administration to try to shield their constituents from the fallout.
—Erin Doherty, Axios, 12 Mar. 2025
Musk has ramped up his visibility in politics and government, leading the new Department of Government Efficiency in what fans call efforts to curtail government fraud and critics call an unelected takeover and slash-and-burn.
—Hadas Gold, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025
Even Eisenhower, who was no fan of McCarthy’s slash-and-burn methods, hesitated to speak out against him, for fear of splintering a fragile Republican coalition.
—Beverly Gage, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Mohammed Soliman, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025
The Tesla and SpaceX mogul is a key ally of Trump, leading his slash-and-burn effort to cut government spending with his Department of Government Efficiency.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2025
Trump’s slash-and-burn approach has hurt nearly every college revenue stream.
—Emma Whitford, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025
The duo have, since this spring, held rallies across the country to harness populist anger at President Donald Trump and his billionaire adviser Elon Musk’s slash-and-burn approach to federal governance.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 4 Apr. 2025
But, shockingly, not everyone is thrilled with Musk’s slash-and-burn approach to gutting the federal government.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2025
As Elon Musk's slash-and-burn budget cuts hit Republican and Democratic areas alike, some GOP lawmakers are privately back-channeling with the Trump administration to try to shield their constituents from the fallout.
—Erin Doherty, Axios, 12 Mar. 2025
Musk has ramped up his visibility in politics and government, leading the new Department of Government Efficiency in what fans call efforts to curtail government fraud and critics call an unelected takeover and slash-and-burn.
—Hadas Gold, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025
Even Eisenhower, who was no fan of McCarthy’s slash-and-burn methods, hesitated to speak out against him, for fear of splintering a fragile Republican coalition.
—Beverly Gage, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Slash-and-burn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slash-and-burn. Accessed 18 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share