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retrench

Syllabification: (re·trench)

Pronunciation: /riˈtrenCH/

Translate retrench | into Italian

Definition of retrench

verb

[no object]

(of a company, government, or individual) reduce costs or spending in response to economic difficulty:as a result of the recession the company retrenched [with object]:if people are forced to retrench their expenditure trade will suffer
[with object] formal reduce or diminish (something) in extent or quantity:right-wing parties which seek to retrench the welfare state

Derivatives

retrenchment

Origin:

late 16th century (in the now formal usage): from obsolete French retrencher, variant of retrancher, from re- (expressing reversal) + trancher 'to cut, slice'

retrench in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of retrench in the British & World English dictionary

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