retract
verb /rɪˈtrækt/
/rɪˈtrækt/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they retract | /rɪˈtrækt/ /rɪˈtrækt/ |
| he / she / it retracts | /rɪˈtrækts/ /rɪˈtrækts/ |
| past simple retracted | /rɪˈtræktɪd/ /rɪˈtræktɪd/ |
| past participle retracted | /rɪˈtræktɪd/ /rɪˈtræktɪd/ |
| -ing form retracting | /rɪˈtræktɪŋ/ /rɪˈtræktɪŋ/ |
- [transitive] retract something (formal) to say that something you have said earlier is not true or correct or that you did not mean it
- He made a false confession which he later retracted.
- They tried to persuade me to retract my words.
- to retract a claim/an allegation/a confession
- [transitive] retract something (formal) to refuse to keep an agreement, a promise, etc.
- to retract an offer
- [intransitive, transitive] (specialist) to move back into the main part of something; to pull something back into the main part of something
- The animal retracted into its shell.
- The undercarriage failed to retract.
- retract something The undercarriage was fully retracted.
Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin retract- ‘drawn back’, from the verb retrahere (from re- ‘back’ + trahere ‘drag’); the senses ‘withdraw (a statement)’ and ‘go back on’ via Old French from retractare ‘reconsider’ (based on trahere ‘drag’).