Definition of retrench
: to make retrenchments;
specifically
: economize
What's Trending Now
More Trending Words
Examples of retrench in a Sentence
When the economy slowed, the company was forced to retrench.
Recent Examples of retrench from the Web
-
The Padres retrenched financially while Petco Park was being built.
-
The remaining 17m are white-collar professionals, a lot of whom work in the information-technology sector, which is retrenching amid technological upheaval and threats of protectionism.
-
Even before the crash, Salomon Brothers had started retrenching, and by early December, the firm backed out of the deal, leaving Zuckerman to go it alone.
-
But in the decade since, Mr. Murakami, 55, has retrenched.
-
Were American drug prices to fall, or coverage of prescription drugs to retrench, the drug market would shrink and some of those investments would not be made.
-
Lauderdale, the concert industry is retrenching and canceling shows in advance of what weather experts are calling the most powerful hurricanes to ever hit the Atlantic coast.
-
Donald Trump didn’t force McConnell to use the public’s frustrations over high medical costs as cover for an attempt to retrench the welfare state.
-
Open land is scarce, but as shopping centers begin to retrench under the e-commerce onslaught, struggling retail areas can be converted to housing, the report suggests.
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.
Origin and Etymology of retrench
obsolete French retrencher (now retrancher), from Middle French retrenchier, from re- + trenchier to cut
Synonym Discussion of retrench
shorten, curtail, abbreviate, abridge, retrench mean to reduce in extent. shorten implies reduction in length or duration.
-
- shorten a speech
-
- ceremonies curtailed because of rain
-
- using an abbreviated title
-
- the abridged version of the novel
-
- declining business forced the company to retrench
RETRENCH Defined for English Language Learners
Definition of retrench for English Language Learners
-
: to change the way things are done in order to spend less money
Learn More about retrench
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up retrench? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
