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
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
So Power of Mama members have started patrolling for fire risks, urging farmers to follow the rules about slash-and-burn clearing, and challenging stereotypes about women’s roles in rural Indonesian life along the way.
—Sara Miller Llana, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 Mar. 2025
Meanwhile, top officials at the State Department warned the Trump Administration’s that its slash-and-burn policy at USAID would result in hundreds of thousands of deaths, reported ProPublica.
—Alex Knapp, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
The same could be asked of Musk’s reckless slash-and-burn tactics with DOGE, which are beginning to provoke backlash as popular programs are cut and job losses pile up, along with lawsuits.
—Garry Kasparov, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2025
Labor unions, Democratic state leaders and other organizations have tried, with some success, to slow Trump down with litigation, while Republicans are growing more concerned about how a slash-and-burn strategy could affect their constituents.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 27 Feb. 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.
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
So Power of Mama members have started patrolling for fire risks, urging farmers to follow the rules about slash-and-burn clearing, and challenging stereotypes about women’s roles in rural Indonesian life along the way.
—Sara Miller Llana, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 Mar. 2025
Meanwhile, top officials at the State Department warned the Trump Administration’s that its slash-and-burn policy at USAID would result in hundreds of thousands of deaths, reported ProPublica.
—Alex Knapp, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
The same could be asked of Musk’s reckless slash-and-burn tactics with DOGE, which are beginning to provoke backlash as popular programs are cut and job losses pile up, along with lawsuits.
—Garry Kasparov, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2025
Labor unions, Democratic state leaders and other organizations have tried, with some success, to slow Trump down with litigation, while Republicans are growing more concerned about how a slash-and-burn strategy could affect their constituents.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 27 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Slash-and-burn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slash-and-burn. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share