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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of retrench
So, for example, the United States should retrench not because China’s rise is inevitable but because the decline of great-power war will not reverse.
—
Tanisha M. Fazal, Foreign Affairs, 24 Aug. 2021
Sports and league executives expressed confidence that scripted entertainment would feel more of the pain if companies retrench.
—Alex Sherman, CNBC, 17 Apr. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for retrench
Tanisha M. Fazal, Foreign Affairs, 24 Aug. 2021
Sports and league executives expressed confidence that scripted entertainment would feel more of the pain if companies retrench.
—Alex Sherman, CNBC, 17 Apr. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for retrench
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retrench
Verb
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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
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Their original sentences, which were 12 years and seven years, respectively, were reduced in September 2023.—
Esther Kang,
People.com,
28 May 2025
Verb
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In a series of posts on social media, the National Weather Service warned that that twisters could be cutting across the central and southern part of the metro.—
Robert A. Cronkleton,
Kansas City Star,
3 June 2025
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The end of Elon Musk’s time at the helm of the Department of Government Efficiency is the latest chapter in a long story: Republicans are better at cutting taxes than cutting spending.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
3 June 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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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
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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
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First, Musk taking on the president so publicly could further shrink the car maker’s customer base by angering Trump backers.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
6 June 2025
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The states sued after the administration terminated over 1,000 grants and placed 85% of AmeriCorps' staff on administrative leave with the intent to terminate them effective June 24 as part of a push by Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency to shrink the federal government.—
Nate Raymond,
USA Today,
6 June 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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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
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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
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These students, many already at an educational disadvantage, are left with instability, fewer learning opportunities and decreased academic performance.—
Lakeisha Wells Palmer,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 June 2025
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As the storm moves away, this likelihood decreases.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
1 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Retrench.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retrench. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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