belt-tightening: Meaning and Definition of

belt-tight•en•ing

Pronunciation: (belt'tīt"n-ing), [key]
— n.
  1. a curtailment in spending; period of economizing: The mayor ordered a belt-tightening for all city offices.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.