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
Schools are hesitant to grow too fast for fear they’ll be forced to retrench once today’s crisis ebbs.
—
Maria Flynn, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
But any business that has benefited from supply chains that are efficient and cost effective (which is to say most of them) will now have to retrench in order to reduce its exposure to trade policy and geopolitical risks.
—Eswar Prasad, Foreign Affairs, 3 Apr. 2025
Recent data shows that U.S. banks are indeed retrenching.
—Chris Scharman, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025
Other banks are retrenching, too, as customers rely increasingly heavily on digital banking.
—David Staats, Idaho Statesman, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for retrench
Maria Flynn, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
But any business that has benefited from supply chains that are efficient and cost effective (which is to say most of them) will now have to retrench in order to reduce its exposure to trade policy and geopolitical risks.
—Eswar Prasad, Foreign Affairs, 3 Apr. 2025
Recent data shows that U.S. banks are indeed retrenching.
—Chris Scharman, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025
Other banks are retrenching, too, as customers rely increasingly heavily on digital banking.
—David Staats, Idaho Statesman, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for retrench
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retrench
Verb
-
With Bayern aiming to reduce their wage bill, the Wirtz signing would have come at the cost of at least an extra €20million (£16.8m, $22.7m) per year, on top of a transfer fee somewhere between €100m and €150m.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
28 May 2025
-
Their original sentences, which were 12 years and seven years, respectively, were reduced in September 2023.—
Esther Kang,
People.com,
28 May 2025
Verb
-
Republican bill cuts Medicaid for unemployed, undocumented children, Planned Parenthood How much do Americans rely on programs like Medicaid and Social Security?—
Riley Beggin,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
-
During that same period, the company cut 3,000 jobs.—
Lindsay Owens,
Time,
22 May 2025
Verb
-
His college admissions have been the subject of speculation since the Trump administration's Tuesday, May 27, decision to slash all remaining federal funding to the Ivy League institution.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
People.com,
28 May 2025
-
Some Harvard labs, including one working on human organs-on-chips, which replicate the function of organs, have received stop-work orders following the Trump Administration’s efforts to slash funding.—
Solcyré Burga,
Time,
27 May 2025
Verb
-
His videos, paring down the frog, or fleshy, central toe on the underside of a hoof, or painting on polish, regularly get hundreds of millions of views.—
Sarah Maslin Nir,
New York Times,
21 May 2025
-
Tesla shares had briefly risen 3.3% on the comments but later pared gains to trade up about 1%.—
Andrew Mills,
USA Today,
20 May 2025
Verb
-
The layoffs of tens of thousands of staff across the federal government are a critical piece of a push by the Republican president and billionaire adviser Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency to shrink the federal government and drastically cut spending.—
Daniel Wiessner,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
-
The fish that shrank, the study found, had a much higher chance of surviving.—
Benji Jones,
Vox,
23 May 2025
Verb
-
Ironically, Trump has simultaneously curtailed, and even effectively eliminated, any realistic path of asylum for refugees from Mexico, Central and South America.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
25 May 2025
-
In 1917, Woodrow Wilson used the act to curtail the activities and speech of German citizens, leading to the internment of more than 6000 Germans, though they were provided with a hearing.—
Richard Stengel,
Time,
23 May 2025
Verb
-
However, this disconnect is limited to only a handful of scenes, since Kapoor’s role is truncated to the point of feeling perfunctory.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
21 May 2025
-
One ideal that rung loudly at the presentation was that these students were unafraid to dream–rather than send designs down the runway that felt truncated, trendy or downright boring, the student designers chose an opposite route.—
Robyn Mowatt,
Essence,
20 May 2025
Verb
-
As the storm moves away, this likelihood decreases.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
1 June 2025
-
The top three contributors to hydroplaning are: Vehicle speed - When a vehicle's speed increases, the tire-traction grip and ability to control the vehicle decreases.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
1 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Retrench.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retrench. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share