as in reducing
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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as in retrenchment
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Recent Examples of retrenching
Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
The museum did some retrenching earlier this year, eliminating some staff positions and long-vacant roles, citing sharply rising operational costs in the face of slower growth in revenue and philanthropic support.
—Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retrenching
Verb
-
The French prime minister was widely expected to lose the motion after failing to win support from political rivals on both the right and left for 2026 budget plans aimed at reducing the country's yawning budget deficit.—
Ganesh Rao,Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
9 Sep. 2025
-
At Tufts University, scientists have developed a new drug that aims to boost weight loss while also reducing the nausea, muscle loss and weight regain associated with popular GLP-1 medications.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Andrew Morse, the publisher, pitched the transition not as a retrenchment but as a vote of confidence in the paper’s digital strength—far from a given in an industry that has struggled to convert print subscribers into paying online readers at scale.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
5 Sep. 2025
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Sahm warned that if tariffs and weak job growth persist, today’s resilience could turn into tomorrow’s retrenchment.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Witnesses and lawmakers wrestled with NASA’s budget priorities, highlighting concern that the administration’s 2026 budget request tilts heavily toward exploration while slashing science programs.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Such reviews have led to companies clearing the deck for new CEOs by slashing top and bottom line expectations, leaving stocks vulnerable to steep corrections.—
Chloe Taylor,Ganesh Rao,
CNBC,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The fit is superb, with just a little more room needed below the knee for my aforementioned calves, a slight shortening of the sleeves, and a reduction of the jacket’s center seam to account for my concave back.—
Eric Twardzik,
Robb Report,
6 Sep. 2025
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In contrast, traditional flour tortillas are typically made with white flour, water, a source of fat like vegetable shortening, lard, or oil, salt, and leavening agents like baking powder.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Barcelona’s decision was not a sporting one but based on cutting wages.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
-
There’s people cutting sandwiches, putting the sandwiches right to the camera, squeezing the juices.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Before the employee approves, a contracting agent built into the same workflow recognizes that the supplier has not fulfilled its sustainable sourcing obligations, which could expose the company to reputational risk and stiff fines.—
Monish Darda,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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Mills has denied wrongdoing in the contracting matter, according to Politico.—
Nick Mordowanec,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The population is shrinking, and the region has struggled economically.—
David Mark,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
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The latest aftershocks follow two earthquakes that ravaged a nation already crushed by war, poverty and shrinking aid.—
Mohammad Yunus Yawar,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Former OpenAI executives have also accused the company of paring back safety resources in the past.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Moreover, much of what the party advocates for, including rejecting gender equality, paring down individual freedoms in the constitution, reverting to the prewar educational system, and adhering to outright historical revisionism, has not gone mainstream.—
Mireya Solís,
Foreign Affairs,
1 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Retrenching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retrenching. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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