SCORCHED-EARTH POLICY Definition & Meaning

scorched-earth policy

[ skawrcht-urth ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a military practice of devastating the property and agriculture of an area before abandoning it to an advancing enemy.

scorched earth policy

noun

the policy in warfare of removing or destroying everything that might be useful to an invading enemy, esp by fire
commerce a manoeuvre by a company expecting an unwelcome takeover bid in which apparent profitability is greatly reduced by a reversible operation, such as borrowing at an exorbitant interest rate

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��t¶�� History and Origins

Origin of scorched-earth policy¹

1935–40; apparently translation of Chinese jiāotǔ zhèngcè

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The intent of Trump allies to open the property to timber harvest is just part of a “scorched-earth policy with regard to all public lands,” he said.

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"Everything is being destroyed. This is a scorched-earth policy."

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The scorched-earth policy played an important role in Ukraine’s success in holding off Russian forces in the north and preventing them from capturing Kyiv, the capital, military experts said.

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“It’s a first step to them ultimately having more of a scorched-earth policy and getting totally out of Russia,” he predicted.

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To prevent protesters from communicating and sharing information, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kazakhstan’s president, turned to a digital scorched-earth policy akin to one in Myanmar last year that took the entire internet offline.

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scorch scorcher

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