scale back (third-person singular simple present scales back, present participle scaling back, simple past and past participle scaled back)

1. To make a reduction in the amount, extent, etc. of something.

   Synonym: scale down

   Antonyms: scale up, scale out

   I scaled back my hours to be with the kids more.

   • 2022 January 12, “Network News: Unions urge government to provide financial support for Eurostar”, in RAIL, number 948, page 6:

     The TSSA said that access to the furlough scheme should be reinstated for the cross-Channel operator to protect jobs, while the RMT said a financial 'safety net' was needed to prevent Eurostar "tipping over". It follows similar but unheeded calls made at the very start of the pandemic, when international travel fell by more than 95% and Eurostar was forced to scale back its operation to just one service between London and Paris each day.

• scaleback (noun)

• black aces, lacebacks