retrench Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. verb tighten one's belt; use resources carefully
  2. verb make a reduction, as in one's workforce
    • The company had to retrench

WordNet

Re*trench" transitive verb
Etymology
OF. retrenchier, F. retrancher; pref. re- re- + OF. trenchier, F. trancher, to cut. See Trench.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Retrenched ; present participle & verbal noun Retrenching
Definitions
  1. To cut off; to pare away.
    Thy exuberant parts retrench. Denham.
  2. To lessen; to abridge; to curtail; as, to retrench superfluities or expenses.
    But this thy glory shall be soon retrenched. Milton.
  3. To confine; to limit; to restrict. Addison.
    These figures, ought they then to receive a retrenched interpretation? I. Taylor.
  4. (Fort.) To furnish with a retrenchment; as, to retrench bastions. Syn. -- To lesen; diminish; curtail; abridge.
Re*trench" intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To cause or suffer retrenchment; specifically, to cut down living expenses; as, it is more reputable to retrench than to live embarrassed.

Webster 1913