belt-tightening

/ˈbelt taɪtnɪŋ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈbelt taɪtnɪŋ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈbelt-ˌtī-tᵊn-iŋ -ˌtīt-niŋ/ (ame, mw)

belt-tightening — noun

1. a situation in which a person, organisation, or government reduces the amount of

1.名詞B2
釋義

a situation in which a person, organisation, or government reduces the amount of money it spends, usually because income has dropped or the economy is struggling

例句

The company announced a belt-tightening plan that cut travel costs by forty percent.

belt-tightening plan

During the recession, the Watanabe family faced years of belt-tightening just to keep their home.

years of belt-tightening

同義詞
  • austerity

    more formal, usually refers to government-level spending cuts; can imply hardship

  • cost-cutting

    focuses on the specific actions taken rather than the general situation

  • economising

    more personal and everyday; less dramatic than belt-tightening

  • retrenchment

    formal, typically used in business contexts for organisational cutbacks

反義詞
  • spending spree

    deliberate, generous spending — opposite of reducing expenditure

文法句型

belt-tightening + noun (e.g. belt-tightening measures)

period/phase of belt-tightening

用法筆記

Often used with nouns like 'measures', 'plan', 'program' to describe the specific steps taken. The phrase is uncountable — do not say 'a belt-tightening' alone (use 'a period of belt-tightening').

常見錯誤

❌The company introduced a belt-tightening.
✅The company introduced belt-tightening measures.
💡belt-tightening is uncountable; pair it with a noun like 'measures' or 'plan'.
❌The belt-tightening of the government was unpopular.
✅The government's belt-tightening was unpopular.
💡use the possessive form for the actor.