retreat
1 of 2noun
re·treat ri-ˈtrēt 
1
a(1)
: an act or process of withdrawing especially from what is difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable
(2)
: the process of receding from a position or state attained
the retreat of a glacier
b(1)
: the usually forced withdrawal of troops from an enemy or from an advanced position
(2)
: a signal for retreating
c(1)
: a signal given by bugle at the beginning of a military flag-lowering ceremony
(2)
: a military flag-lowering ceremony
2
: a place of privacy or safety : refuge
3
: a period of group withdrawal for prayer, meditation, study, or instruction under a director
retreat
2 of 2verb
retreated; retreating; retreats
intransitive verb
1
: to make a retreat : withdraw
2
: to slope backward
transitive verb
: to draw or lead back : remove
specifically : to move (a piece) back in chess
retreater noun
Synonyms
Noun
- pullback
- pullout
- recession
- retirement
- withdrawal
Verb
- back away
- drop back
- fall back
- pull out
- recede
- retire
- withdraw
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Noun Some of her friends were surprised by her retreat from public life following her defeat in the election. we made a strategic retreat when we realized that we were outnumbered Verb When the enemy attacked, our troops were forced to retreat. They retreated behind trees for safety. He quickly retreated from the room. After her defeat, she retreated from politics. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2022 There's much more ahead this morning from London, but first, major developments in the war in Ukraine, Russian forces suddenly in disarray and retreat. ABC News, 11 Sep. 2022 An attribution study published in the journal Nature Geoscience in 2021 found that the Palcaraju glacier’s retreat and Laguna Palcacocha’s resulting expansion would be virtually impossible in a world without climate change. Sarah Kaplan, Anchorage Daily News, 30 Aug. 2022 Its revenue has whipsawed over the past couple of years with the surges and retreat of COVID cases. San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Aug. 2022 Their only options were to surrender, and face what felt like certain death, or retreat. New York Times, 18 Aug. 2022 Hadi Matar, 24, pleaded not guilty Saturday to attempted murder and assault charges in the attack at the Chautauqua Institution, a nonprofit education and retreat center. Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 14 Aug. 2022 Matar, 24, is accused of attacking Rushdie on Friday as the author was being introduced at a lecture at the Chautauqua Institute, a nonprofit education and retreat center. Carolyn Thompson And Hillel Italie, al, 13 Aug. 2022 The property is the first hotel from the brand to offer the Aman Club, a members-only retreat that includes a private garden terrace, cigar lounge, wine room and two club lounges. Dana Givens, Robb Report, 11 Aug. 2022 Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2022 When things get tough, the best solution is often not to jump into the ring to duke it out, but to retreat to your respective corners. WIRED, 5 Sep. 2022 That, however, is cold comfort for the people of the Magdalens, where there is virtually no hinterland to retreat to. Taras Grescoe, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 July 2022 For big asset and wealth managers such as UBS and Credit Suisse, fee income will fall if asset values continue to decline or more clients retreat to the safety of cash. Rochelle Toplensky, WSJ, 27 July 2022 Such situations are particularly dangerous when flames spread quickly in a short period of time, forcing firefighters to retreat to their emergency shelters. Lou Dzierzak, Scientific American, 25 July 2022 Wickson was able to retreat to safety and declined medical attention. Fox News, 14 July 2022 While residents and others filled social media with heated comments on the shooting, officials and civic leaders tended to retreat to previous positions or issue statements reiterating their concerns and desires to work toward solutions. Baltimore Sun, 9 July 2022 Without them, Ukrainian forces have a limited ability to retreat to Lysychansk, which sits on higher ground. New York Times, 21 June 2022 See More
Noun
For others, these decades were not a period of advancement but retreat, into ever more bewildering and even punishing realms of inscrutability. Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2022 There's much more ahead this morning from London, but first, major developments in the war in Ukraine, Russian forces suddenly in disarray and retreat. ABC News, 11 Sep. 2022 An attribution study published in the journal Nature Geoscience in 2021 found that the Palcaraju glacier’s retreat and Laguna Palcacocha’s resulting expansion would be virtually impossible in a world without climate change. Sarah Kaplan, Anchorage Daily News, 30 Aug. 2022 Its revenue has whipsawed over the past couple of years with the surges and retreat of COVID cases. San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Aug. 2022 Their only options were to surrender, and face what felt like certain death, or retreat. New York Times, 18 Aug. 2022 Hadi Matar, 24, pleaded not guilty Saturday to attempted murder and assault charges in the attack at the Chautauqua Institution, a nonprofit education and retreat center. Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 14 Aug. 2022 Matar, 24, is accused of attacking Rushdie on Friday as the author was being introduced at a lecture at the Chautauqua Institute, a nonprofit education and retreat center. Carolyn Thompson And Hillel Italie, al, 13 Aug. 2022 The property is the first hotel from the brand to offer the Aman Club, a members-only retreat that includes a private garden terrace, cigar lounge, wine room and two club lounges. Dana Givens, Robb Report, 11 Aug. 2022 Verb
But the 2022 Emmys seemed to retreat to the cozy echo chamber of show biz. Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2022 When things get tough, the best solution is often not to jump into the ring to duke it out, but to retreat to your respective corners. WIRED, 5 Sep. 2022 That, however, is cold comfort for the people of the Magdalens, where there is virtually no hinterland to retreat to. Taras Grescoe, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 July 2022 For big asset and wealth managers such as UBS and Credit Suisse, fee income will fall if asset values continue to decline or more clients retreat to the safety of cash. Rochelle Toplensky, WSJ, 27 July 2022 Such situations are particularly dangerous when flames spread quickly in a short period of time, forcing firefighters to retreat to their emergency shelters. Lou Dzierzak, Scientific American, 25 July 2022 Wickson was able to retreat to safety and declined medical attention. Fox News, 14 July 2022 While residents and others filled social media with heated comments on the shooting, officials and civic leaders tended to retreat to previous positions or issue statements reiterating their concerns and desires to work toward solutions. Baltimore Sun, 9 July 2022 Without them, Ukrainian forces have a limited ability to retreat to Lysychansk, which sits on higher ground. New York Times, 21 June 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English retret, from Anglo-French retrait, from past participle of retraire to withdraw, from Latin retrahere, from re- + trahere to draw
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Phrases Containing retreat
Kids Definition
retreat 1 of 2
noun
re·treat ri-ˈtrēt
1
: an act of going back or away especially from something dangerous, difficult, or disagreeable
The enemy is in retreat.
2
: a military signal for turning away from the enemy
He sounded the retreat.
3
: a place of privacy or safety
a mountain retreat
4
: a period of time in which a person goes away to pray, think quietly, or study
retreat
2 of 2verb
retreated; retreating
1
: to move back or away especially from something dangerous, difficult, or disagreeable
The troops retreated at nightfall.
2
: to go to a place of privacy or safety The family retreated to their summer home.
Legal Definition
retreat
noun
re·treat
: the act or process of withdrawing from a dangerous situation
Note: Many jurisdictions require that a person must have at least attempted a retreat, if it was possible to do so with safety, in order for a defense of self-defense to prevail. Retreat from an attack in one's own home, however, is usually not required.
retreat 1 of 2
noun
1
as in withdrawal
an act of moving away especially from something difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable we made a strategic retreat when we realized that we were outnumbered Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- withdrawal
- retirement
- pullout
- pullback
- disengagement
- recoil
- recession
- rout
- revulsion
- shrinking
- flinch
- disentanglement
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- advance
- advancement
2
as in refuge
something (as a building) that offers cover from the weather or protection from danger her bedroom served as a retreat from the frequent arguing between her parents the abandoned cabin was a welcome retreat from the storm Synonyms & Similar Words
- refuge
- sanctuary
- shelter
- haven
- residence
- oasis
- asylum
- lodging
- hideout
- bolt-hole
- sanctum
- harbor
- abode
- hideaway
- dwelling
- rest
- house
- quarters
- fortress
- harborage
- housing
- place
- stronghold
- anchorage
- domicile
- hermitage
- fort
- port
- cloister
- lair
- redoubt
- mooring
- castle
- den
- habitation
- roof
- covert
- lodgment
- screen
- pad
- cover
- closet
- shed
- palisade
- lee
- diggings
- lodgement
- windbreak
- fastness
- lean-to
retreat
2 of 2verb
1
as in to withdraw
to move back or away (as from something difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable) we retreated to the safety of the cellar at the first sign of the tornado Synonyms & Similar Words
- withdraw
- retire
- flee
- pull out
- fall back
- evacuate
- recede
- drop back
- lose ground
- back away
- give ground
- fly
- leave
- give way
- recoil
- flinch
- detach
- shrink
- go
- disengage
- bow out
- pull away
- climb down
- abandon
- vacate
- backpedal
- backtrack
- back down
- depart
- quit
- disentangle
- chicken (out)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- advance
- confront
- face
- dare
- breast
- brave
- defy
- beard
- outbrave
- brazen
2
as in to flee
to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening the untried soldiers retreated in humiliating disarray almost as soon as the enemy's onslaught began Synonyms & Similar Words
- flee
- escape
- fly
- run
- bolt
- break
- beat a retreat
- run away
- run off
- skedaddle
- bug out
- turn tail
- beat it
- make tracks
- get out
- abscond
- hightail (it)
- decamp
- scram
- clear out
- light out
- elope
- make off
- skirr
- scat
- lam
- scarper
- skip (out)
- mizzle
- get (away)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- confront
- dare
- face
- stay
- beard
- defy
- remain
- brave
- dwell
- linger
- abide
- hang around
- stick around
- tarry
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of retreat are back, recede, and retract. While all these words mean "to move backward," retreat implies withdrawal from a point or position reached.
retreating soldiers
The words back and retreat are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, back is used with up, down, out, or off to refer to any retrograde motion.
backed off on the throttle
While the synonyms recede and retreat are close in meaning, recede implies a gradual withdrawing from a forward or high fixed point in time or space.
the flood waters gradually receded
The words retract and retreat can be used in similar contexts, but retract implies drawing back from an extended position.
a cat retracting its claws