Choose the Right Synonym for retrench

shorten, curtail, abbreviate, abridge, retrench mean to reduce in extent. shorten implies reduction in length or duration. shorten a speech curtail adds an implication of cutting that in some way deprives of completeness or adequacy. ceremonies curtailed because of rain abbreviate implies a making shorter usually by omitting some part. using an abbreviated title abridge implies a reduction in compass or scope with retention of essential elements and a relative completeness in the result. the abridged version of the novel retrench suggests a reduction in extent or costs of something felt to be excessive. declining business forced the company to retrench

Examples of retrench in a Sentence

When the economy slowed, the company was forced to retrench.

Recent Examples on the Web But McConnell himself endorsed a $1 trillion-or-so plan this summer, only to encounter resistance from conservatives that prompted him to retrench. — Arkansas Online, "Pelosi optimistic, says momentum growing for covid-19 relief," 5 Dec. 2020 But the decision to retrench marks a setback for Cisco, which has been trying to boost sales of software services over hardware. — Aaron Tilley, WSJ, "Cisco Systems Pulls Back From Smart City Push," 28 Dec. 2020 But McConnell himself endorsed a $1 trillion-or-so plan this summer, only to encounter resistance from conservatives that prompted him to retrench. — Arkansas Online, "Pelosi optimistic, says momentum growing for covid-19 relief," 5 Dec. 2020 But McConnell himself endorsed a $1 trillion-or-so plan this summer, only to encounter resistance from conservatives that prompted him to retrench. — Arkansas Online, "Pelosi optimistic, says momentum growing for covid-19 relief," 5 Dec. 2020 But McConnell himself endorsed a $1 trillion-or-so plan this summer, only to encounter resistance from conservatives that prompted him to retrench. — Arkansas Online, "Pelosi optimistic, says momentum growing for covid-19 relief," 5 Dec. 2020 But McConnell himself endorsed a $1 trillion-or-so plan this summer, only to encounter resistance from conservatives that prompted him to retrench. — Andrew Taylor, chicagotribune.com, "Second stimulus check updates: Nancy Pelosi gives optimistic update, says momentum growing for COVID-19 relief deal," 4 Dec. 2020 But McConnell himself endorsed a $1 trillion-or-so plan this summer, only to encounter resistance from conservatives that prompted him to retrench. — Andrew Taylor, Anchorage Daily News, "Optimism for pandemic relief bill grows in Congress as pressure builds on leaders," 4 Dec. 2020 The spurt in infections across the globe means health officials will have little time to retrench and cope with what could be a taxing winter for health-care systems around the world. — Tribune News Service, al, "COVID’s comeback is bigger but less deadly, at least for now," 11 Oct. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'retrench.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.