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Showing results for scale back. Search instead for Scaleback.
Synonyms

scale back

British  

verb

  1. (adverb) to reduce or make a reduction in the level of activity, extent, numbers, etc

"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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

That’s because if high-income shoppers scale back their spending, then the other horizontal lines of the “E” — the lower and middle classes — may not have enough spending power to keep the economy afloat.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

Shaw have repeatedly urged the company to scale back its multibillion-dollar investment in Homes.com or divest entirely.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

—The dollar rose as strong U.S. economic data and the potential for higher inflation caused by the Middle East conflict has prompted markets to scale back bets for further Fed rate cuts.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

Like Vesga, many workers are looking to take a breather from their job or to scale back their high-stress career without quitting altogether.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 4, 2026

I tried to put the scale back together as best I could, managing to at least fit all the parts back inside and pound the frame back into a rough semblance of its previous shape.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.