slash-and-burn
adjective
1
: characterized or developed by felling and burning trees to clear land especially for temporary agriculture
2
: extremely ruthless and unsparing
slash-and-burn tactics
slash-and-burn criticism
Examples of slash-and-burn in a Sentence
under his slash-and-burn management ethic, even longtime employees were summarily downsized for the sake of corporate competitiveness
Recent Examples on the Web
The same could be asked of Musk’s reckless slash-and-burn tactics with DOGE, which are beginning to provoke backlash as popular programs are cut and job losses pile up, along with lawsuits.
—
Garry Kasparov, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2025
Labor unions, Democratic state leaders and other organizations have tried, with some success, to slow Trump down with litigation, while Republicans are growing more concerned about how a slash-and-burn strategy could affect their constituents.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 27 Feb. 2025
In a Court dominated by Republicans, and in an era when many Republicans take a slash-and-burn approach to DEI, that’s probably the best outcome that advocates of greater workplace diversity could hope for.
—Ian Millhiser, Vox, 26 Feb. 2025
Under President Donald Trump, Elon Musk’s slash-and-burn approach to the federal government workforce is immediately impacting tens of thousands of people and government services.
—Megan Poinski, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
Yet the disquieting fact remains that a country with an extremely powerful executive branch has twice elected a president who seems deeply attracted to a slash-and-burn approach.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
Even as Elon Musk has drawn enormous attention for his slash-and-burn assault on the federal bureaucracy and his partnership with President Trump in the opening weeks of the new administration, quieter efforts are underway to position Vice President JD Vance as Mr. Trump’s eventual successor.
—Michael C. Bender, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025
President Trump and his top campaign donor, Elon Musk, have taken a slash-and-burn approach to running the federal government since Trump took office one month ago.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 20 Feb. 2025
The slash-and-burn model that Milei has taken is one that Elon Musk seems to be emulating with the Department of Government Efficiency.
—Brady Dale, Axios, 18 Feb. 2025
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Garry Kasparov, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2025
Labor unions, Democratic state leaders and other organizations have tried, with some success, to slow Trump down with litigation, while Republicans are growing more concerned about how a slash-and-burn strategy could affect their constituents.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 27 Feb. 2025
In a Court dominated by Republicans, and in an era when many Republicans take a slash-and-burn approach to DEI, that’s probably the best outcome that advocates of greater workplace diversity could hope for.
—Ian Millhiser, Vox, 26 Feb. 2025
Under President Donald Trump, Elon Musk’s slash-and-burn approach to the federal government workforce is immediately impacting tens of thousands of people and government services.
—Megan Poinski, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
Yet the disquieting fact remains that a country with an extremely powerful executive branch has twice elected a president who seems deeply attracted to a slash-and-burn approach.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
Even as Elon Musk has drawn enormous attention for his slash-and-burn assault on the federal bureaucracy and his partnership with President Trump in the opening weeks of the new administration, quieter efforts are underway to position Vice President JD Vance as Mr. Trump’s eventual successor.
—Michael C. Bender, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025
President Trump and his top campaign donor, Elon Musk, have taken a slash-and-burn approach to running the federal government since Trump took office one month ago.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 20 Feb. 2025
The slash-and-burn model that Milei has taken is one that Elon Musk seems to be emulating with the Department of Government Efficiency.
—Brady Dale, Axios, 18 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Slash-and-burn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slash-and-burn. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
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