retrenchment
[ri-trench-muh nt]
- the act of retrenching; a cutting down or off, as by the reduction of expenses.
- Fortification. an interior work that cuts off a part of a fortification from the rest, and to which a garrison may retreat.
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Origin of retrenchment
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for retrenchment
Contemporary Examples
The Washington Post, after a difficult four-year retrenchment, has tapped Boston Globe Editor Marty Baron to run the newsroom.
The Obama era, so far, is all about repair and retrenchment.
Rep. Chris Van Hollen, the committee chairman, quickly denied that any sort of retrenchment was under way.
On some issues, such as Afghanistan, the Retrenchment Republicans sound like the left wing of the Democratic Party.
Republican presidential candidates will have to decide which way to lean, toward muscular foreign policy or retrenchment.
Historical Examples
It was characterized as "a policy of which peace, progress and retrenchment were the watchwords."
The Grand Old ManRichard B. Cook
In 1815, "Retrenchment" deprived him of this office, and he was placed on half-pay.
The necessity of retrenchment was felt by families of every rank.
The History of England from the Accession of James II.Thomas Babington Macaulay
The cry for 'retrenchment' was joined to the cry for reform.
The English Utilitarians, Volume II (of 3)Leslie Stephen
Reform and Retrenchment were the chief policies of his administration.
The Story of Commodore John BarryMartin Griffin
retrenchment
- the act of reducing expenditure in order to improve financial stability
- an extra interior fortification to reinforce outer walls
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for retrenchment
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
retrenchment
(rĭ-trĕnch′mənt)- The cutting away of superfluous tissue.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.