as in to reduce
formal
to change the way things are done in order to spend less money
When the economy slowed, the company was forced to retrench.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of retrench
Now these and other policies will be tainted by his impeachment and subject to partisan attacks, while Seoul likely retrenches on all fronts.
—
Victor Cha, The Atlantic, 20 Dec. 2024
The right has retrenched in the face of Russian aggression in Europe, while the left has demonstrated a chronic allergy to deterring Iran and supporting Israel.
—Mitch McConnell, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2024
Bitcoin was within striking distance of $100,000 on Friday but retrenched over the weekend.
—Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 25 Nov. 2024
Some expected it, especially after many US companies retrenched on DEI efforts amid pushback from conservative activists.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune Europe, 18 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for retrench
Victor Cha, The Atlantic, 20 Dec. 2024
The right has retrenched in the face of Russian aggression in Europe, while the left has demonstrated a chronic allergy to deterring Iran and supporting Israel.
—Mitch McConnell, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2024
Bitcoin was within striking distance of $100,000 on Friday but retrenched over the weekend.
—Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 25 Nov. 2024
Some expected it, especially after many US companies retrenched on DEI efforts amid pushback from conservative activists.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune Europe, 18 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for retrench
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retrench
Verb
-
Guided by billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, the Trump administration has moved aggressively the past week to fire probationary workers across federal departments and agencies in an effort to drastically reduce the size of the government.—
Joey Garrison,
USA TODAY,
21 Feb. 2025
-
An extra set of eyes and ears helps reduce the odds of injury.—
Josh Honeycutt,
Outdoor Life,
20 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
People will chew on the Broadway first of an Othello directed and lead-produced by black men—Leon and Brian Anthony Moreland, respectively—and cut their assumptions about that to fit their pre-existing views.—
Maya Singer,
Vogue,
27 Feb. 2025
-
Second half Utah cut the deficit to one after outscoring Sacramento 13-5 to start the second half, but the Kings responded with an 11-1 run to push the lead back to double digits.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacramento Bee,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
The most expensive contract that DOGE claims to have slashed is $8 billion to D&G Support Services LLC to provide services for the Office of Diversity and Civil Rights within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, starting in late 2022.—
Andre Tartar Bloomberg News (TNS),
arkansasonline.com,
20 Feb. 2025
-
Meanwhile, Democrats, lacking the votes to block Trump's plans, are warning of severe consequences, particularly as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) slashes federal agencies, leading to mass layoffs and the dismantling of government programs.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
20 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
After Seidler’s death, the new controlling partner – his brother, John Seidler – began paring down the salary commitments.—
Dan Freedman,
Forbes,
21 Feb. 2025
-
The network first aired MLB games in 1990, but the league said in a statement that it is dismayed at how ESPN has pared back its baseball coverage.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN,
20 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Ethan Hawke, Linklater’s friend and frequent collaborator, somehow manages to shrink himself to fit the agitated, alcoholic, short and desperate Hart, now 47, discarded by his former creative partner and knowingly washed up.—
Stephanie Bunbury,
Deadline,
18 Feb. 2025
-
With consumers’ homes as collateral, the company’s cards offer a lower interest rate than on normal, unsecured credit cards, while its data and tech shrink the normal HELOC approval time.—
Jeff Kauflin,
Forbes,
18 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
But compelling evidence of nationwide abuse is lacking, and no university was singled out as a bad actor justifying curtailing or shutting down all lifesaving research, every year, everywhere.—
Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards,
Orlando Sentinel,
20 Feb. 2025
-
There are also military applications, and the domestic industry has emphasized its importance in the event that China curtails its exports of materials like lithium, nickel and cobalt.—
Lydia DePillis,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
And eventually, the avoidance of failure morphs into avoidance of success, truncating career trajectories in the long run.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes,
18 Feb. 2025
-
Analysts warned that leaving Ukraine truncated territorially won’t end its pro-West aspirations, and Putin may not tolerate that.—
Tracy Wilkinson,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Unlike widening, which decreases the cost of driving and thus causes demand to rebound, congestion pricing regulates the cost of driving in a particular area or lane to tamp down on traffic, Burris explains.—
Allison Parshall,
Scientific American,
25 Feb. 2025
-
The analysis found spending on metformin, an older first-line oral drug for Type 2 diabetes that's available as a generic, decreased 5% over the five years studied, to $623 million.—
Adriel Bettelheim,
Axios,
25 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Retrench.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retrench. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share