retrench

Verb

Verb Forms: retrenched, retrenching, retrenches

To cut down or curtail expenses; to economize.
tighten one's belt; use resources carefully
make a reduction, as in one's workforce
- "The company had to retrench"
To cut down or reduce.
To cut down or reduce.
To terminate the employment of a worker to reduce the size of a workforce; to make redundant.
To confine; to limit; to restrict.
To furnish with a retrenchment (a defensive work within a fortification).
To abridge; to curtail.
To take up a new defensive position.
To live less expensively; to economize.
To dig or redig a trench where one already exists.

Examples

He had to retrench his ambitions for a bingo when he only drew vowels.
to retrench bastions
We must retrench and try to hold on long enough for products in development to reach the market or we will be out of business.

Origin / Etymology

From Old French retranchier (“to get rid of, remove”) (modern French retrancher (“to cut out, take away; to cut off; to cut down”)), from re- (“again”) + tranchier, trenchier (“to cut”) (modern French trancher (“to slice”)); further etymology uncertain, but possibly either from Vulgar Latin *trinicāre (“cut in three parts”) (from the root trini from trēs (“three”), based on the model of duplicāre (“to double by dividing, split in two, tear”)), or from an alteration of Latin truncāre (“to maim by cutting off pieces; to truncate”), also possibly influenced by Gaulish *trincare (“to cut (the head)”). Compare English trench.

Synonyms

axe, can, decruit, dehire, discard, discharge, dismiss, downsize, fire, give someone the boot, give someone the heave-ho, give someone the old heave-ho, give someone their cards, give the axe, give the chop, give the elbow, lay off, let go, let someone go, make redundant, pink slip, promote to customer, retrench, sack, serve notice, shit-can, term, terminate, throw out, unhire

Scrabble Score: 13

retrench: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
retrench: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
retrench: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 14

retrench: valid Words With Friends Word