retrench

verb

Definition of retrenchnext
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.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word retrench different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of retrench are abbreviate, abridge, curtail, and shorten. While all these words mean "to reduce in extent," retrench suggests a reduction in extent or costs of something felt to be excessive.

declining business forced the company to retrench

When is abbreviate a more appropriate choice than retrench?

While in some cases nearly identical to retrench, abbreviate implies a making shorter usually by omitting some part.

using an abbreviated title

When is it sensible to use abridge instead of retrench?

The words abridge and retrench can be used in similar contexts, but 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

When can curtail be used instead of retrench?

In some situations, the words curtail and retrench are roughly equivalent. However, curtail adds an implication of cutting that in some way deprives of completeness or adequacy.

ceremonies curtailed because of rain

When could shorten be used to replace retrench?

The words shorten and retrench are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, shorten implies reduction in length or duration.

shorten a speech

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of retrench During lockdown in 2020, the business began retrenching and restructuring. —Samantha Conti, WWD, 27 Jan. 2025 For most of the past two-plus years, the market has paused and retrenched before going into full momentum-froth mode, healing itself, but hard to say if that pattern will continue. —Michael Santoli, CNBC, 1 Feb. 2025 Meanwhile, as lawmakers contend with Trump’s initial steps as president, Democrats are attempting to regroup and retrench their party. —The Editors, The Atlantic, 25 Jan. 2025 As banks retrench under the heavy weight of Basel III regulations, private credit funds are stepping in to bridge the financing gaps. —Andreas Schweitzer, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for retrench
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retrench
  1. reduce
  2. cut
  3. slash
  4. pare
  5. shrink
  6. curtail
  7. truncate
  8. decrease
Verb
  • These layoffs reduced staffing at some local weather forecast offices to threadbare levels, causing some to reduce their services.
    — Andrew Freedman, Axios, 17 Mar. 2025
  • Although reducing the property tax burden could provide significant benefits to business owners and homeowners, there’s no guarantee that landlords would pass those savings on to their tenants.
    — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 16 Mar. 2025
Definition of reduce
Verb
  • Within the scheme’s first week, traffic had fallen by 7.5%, with 273,000 fewer cars entering Manhattan’s central business district, and travel times on inbound river crossings had been cut by more than a third, leading to faster bus journeys.
    — Laurie Winkless, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
  • How about water: The Trump administration is cutting about 10% of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s California staff.
    — Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2025
Definition of cut
Verb
  • Last season, the veteran slashed .251/.335/.468 with 26 home runs and 26 doubles.
    — Mark Davis, Newsweek, 17 Mar. 2025
  • The cutscene slashes through the past and present of the Hive God pantheon, which has a dead Oryx quasi-returned and now interested in us, his killers.
    — Paul Tassi, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
Definition of slash
Verb
  • This is the bottom-up part of President Trump’s effort -- led by Elon Musk and DOGE -- to pare back the federal workforce and the administrative state.
    — Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Stock market futures pared losses following the report while Treasury yields remained higher.
    — Jeff Cox, CNBC, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of pare
Verb
  • Too much laundering can wear out, fade, or shrink fabrics before their time.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Rather than expand services for children needing more intense treatment, many states are stuck with stagnant or even shrinking options.
    — Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of shrink
Verb
  • The Legislature has been trying to curtail that practice ever since, saying that outside special interests with money have corrupted the process.
    — Jeffrey Schweers, Orlando Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2025
  • The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to curtail a lower court’s ability to issue a national injunction, hatching a novel legal strategy in its bid to radically revise a bedrock American principle: birthright citizenship.
    — Syra Ortiz Blanes and, Miami Herald, 15 Mar. 2025
Definition of curtail
Verb
  • However, there is no compelling reason to believe that truncating the number of neurons is an optimal strategy.
    — Sam Mugel, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
  • The results led to traces that were similar to the Alkali Flat tracks, with the poles dragged in the mud, truncating footprints.
    — Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 25 Feb. 2025
Definition of truncate
Verb
  • New York Open Data showed that certain types of delays, such as those related to braking issues, rail and roadbed problems and service delivery, decreased on the A line from September to December.
    — Nic F. Anderson, CNN, 9 Mar. 2025
  • The three main causes of hydroplaning are: Vehicle speed - When a vehicle's speed increases, the tire-traction grip and ability to control the vehicle decreases.
    — STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Mar. 2025
Definition of decrease

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Cite this Entry

“Retrench.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retrench. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

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