the forced or strategic withdrawal of an army or an armed force before an enemy, or the withdrawing of a naval force from action.
the act of withdrawing, as into safety or privacy; retirement; seclusion.
a place of refuge, seclusion, or privacy: The library was his retreat.
an asylum, as for the insane.
a retirement or a period of retirement for religious exercises and meditation.
Military.
a flag-lowering ceremony held at sunset on a military post.
the bugle call or drumbeat played at this ceremony.
the recession of a surface, as a wall or panel, from another surface beside it.
verb (used without object)
to withdraw, retire, or draw back, especially for shelter or seclusion.
to make a retreat: The army retreated.
to slope backward; recede: a retreating chin.
to draw or lead back.
Idioms for retreat
beat a retreat, to withdraw or retreat, especially hurriedly or in disgrace.
Origin of retreat
1300–50; (noun) Middle English retret<Old French, variant of retrait, noun use of past participle of retraire to draw back <Latin retrahere (re-re- + trahere to draw; see retract1); (v.) late Middle English retreten<Middle French retraitier<Latin retractāre to retract2
My heart stopped as the fish owl pivoted and took to the air in retreat, but the weight of the noose carpet held and drew the bird softly back to ground.
The quest to snare—and save—the world’s largest owl|Jonathan Slaght|August 28, 2020|Popular Science
Lawful hacking and cyber-espionage have grown enormously as a business over the past decade, with no signs of retreat.
So far, BDG has created these event kits for its virtual yoga retreat in May that was produced for advertiser Nature’s Way, and for its Self-Care Saturday event this past Saturday that was built with advertiser lip filler brand Restylane Kysse.
How a new order of commerce is increasingly coming to the rescue for publishers with advertising challenges|Kayleigh Barber|August 17, 2020|Digiday
Bustle planned to host an afternoon-long yoga retreat in Austin, Texas this spring for vitamin and supplement brand Nature’s Way.
How publishers are selling advertisers on virtual events|Kayleigh Barber|July 17, 2020|Digiday
The researchers also found that as the soapy film retreats, soap molecules pack together more tightly.
Soap bubbles’ ‘pop’ reveals the physics of the bursts|Emily Conover|April 1, 2020|Science News For Students
She completed a yoga teacher-training program and, in the spring of 2008, went on a retreat in Peru to study with shamans.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze|Lizzie Crocker|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Finally, a squad of reinforcements arrived and they were able to retreat.
The Brothers Who Ambushed ISIS|Mohammed A. Salih|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The law professor, Benny Tai, urged the students to “retreat and take the spirit of the Umbrella Movement into the community.”
The Monuments Men of Occupy Hong Kong|Brendon Hong|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With falling temperatures, retreat has become a much more attractive option than before.
The Monuments Men of Occupy Hong Kong|Brendon Hong|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
America, Stephens writes, is not necessarily in “decline” but rather “retreat.”
‘America in Retreat’: Why Neo-Isolationism Exploded Under Obama and What We Can Do About It|James Kirchick|December 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Prince John resumed his retreat from the lists, and the dispersion of the multitude became general.
Ivanhoe|Walter Scott
They seem to follow the sun in its advance and retreat; and to fly on the zephyr wing after an eternal spring.
Birds, Illustrated by Color Photography, Vol. II, No 3, September 1897|Various
It can readily be traced in its retreat and easily taken from the sand.
The World and Its People: Book VII|Anna B. Badlam
Well,” rejoined the Doctor, rising and striding toward a window, “a good general may order a retreat.
Dr. Sevier|George W. Cable
Finally the Confederate lines began to waver and give way, and the bugle sounded the retreat.
Brother Against Brother|John Roy Musick
British Dictionary definitions for retreat
retreat
/ (rɪˈtriːt) /
verb(mainly intr)
militaryto withdraw or retire in the face of or from action with an enemy, either due to defeat or in order to adopt a more favourable position
to retire or withdraw, as to seclusion or shelter
(of a person's features) to slope back; recede
(tr)chessto move (a piece) back
noun
the act of retreating or withdrawing
military
a withdrawal or retirement in the face of the enemy
a bugle call signifying withdrawal or retirement, esp (formerly) to within a defended fortification
retirement or seclusion
a place, such as a sanatorium or monastery, to which one may retire for refuge, quiet, etc
a period of seclusion, esp for religious contemplation
an institution, esp a private one, for the care and treatment of people who are mentally ill, infirm, elderly, etc
Word Origin for retreat
C14: from Old French retret, from retraire to withdraw, from Latin retrahere to pull back; see retract