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.
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Recent Examples of retrench
There’s a growing sense both abroad and at home that the United States is retrenching.
—
Foreign Affairs, 17 Oct. 2016
Wildflower opened its doors last fall with the industry emerging from the long tail of Hollywood strikes and shaken by a slowdown in television production as media companies retrenched.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 6 June 2025
But the company has since retrenched, recognizing the need to focus on creating high-quality originals that meet Disney’s once lofty standards.
—Meg James, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 June 2025
Wolff said Trump is retrenching to the Western Hemisphere but may face push-back from China, particularly in Latin America.
—John Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for retrench
Foreign Affairs, 17 Oct. 2016
Wildflower opened its doors last fall with the industry emerging from the long tail of Hollywood strikes and shaken by a slowdown in television production as media companies retrenched.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 6 June 2025
But the company has since retrenched, recognizing the need to focus on creating high-quality originals that meet Disney’s once lofty standards.
—Meg James, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 June 2025
Wolff said Trump is retrenching to the Western Hemisphere but may face push-back from China, particularly in Latin America.
—John Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for retrench
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retrench
Verb
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To reduce background noise when making phone calls or joining in with a video meeting, Headphone (1) has a 4-microphone ENC system that’s backed up by AI.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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As part of its strategy to reduce cancer rates, the European Commission aims to reduce tobacco use to less than 5% of the EU population by 2040.—
Lisa Klaassen,
CNN Money,
1 July 2025
Verb
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Both headphones are astonishingly quiet, virtually eliminating lower drone sounds, cutting higher frequency noises like key clicks, and even erasing piercing sounds like dogs barking with a bit of music.—
Ryan Waniata,
Wired News,
9 July 2025
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To pay for these initiatives, the law cuts Medicaid and food stamps — programs relied upon by poor households with children — by more than $1 trillion.—
MORIAH BALINGIT,
Chicago Tribune,
9 July 2025
Verb
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Trump also suggested that the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE — the cost-cutting division unpopular among Americans that Musk led before exiting the administration in late May — might consider slashing incentives that Musk’s companies receive from the U.S. government.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
1 July 2025
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Norms are being shattered, aid budgets for the poorest and most vulnerable are being slashed, and for the first time in a generation, extreme poverty has been on the rise.—
Michael Sheldrick,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
Verb
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Sometimes a collection even starts quite like that, and then gets pared down.—
Elizabeth Logan,
Glamour,
1 July 2025
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Consumers also pared their spending last month, marking their first reduction since January, while incomes also dropped, the Commerce Department said on Friday.—
Alain Sherter,
CBS News,
27 June 2025
Verb
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Amazon and other tech companies have also been shrinking their workforces through rolling layoffs over the past several years.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
1 July 2025
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This time limit shrinks to 1 hour if the mercury rises to 90°F or higher, according to the USDA.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
28 June 2025
Verb
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China controls 90% of the world’s most powerful rare-earth magnets, and Ford Motor recently had to curtail some production due to a magnet shortage.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
1 July 2025
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Privatization would likely narrow the reach of the U.S.P.S., to say nothing of curtailing its affordability, especially for rural customers like those Grant served in Appalachia.—
Casey Cep,
New Yorker,
28 June 2025
Verb
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There’s a cool, if truncated, car chase in which AMELIA treats humans like roadblocks, flinging us into traffic by freezing scooters and releasing cash from sidewalk ATMs.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
26 June 2025
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In time, Shahn worried that his imagination was truncated by photography, or that people thought as much.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
24 June 2025
Verb
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Following Monday's trade, Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust will own 220 shares of GS, decreasing its weighting to about 4.35% from about 4.75%.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
7 July 2025
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Revenue has remained relatively stagnant, decreasing slightly from $153 million to $152 million over the past year.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Retrench.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retrench. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.
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