retractverb
uk/rɪˈtrækt/us/rɪˈtrækt/formal[ T ] to take back an offer or statement, etc. or admit that a statement was false:
retract an invitation/confession/promise
When questioned on TV, he retracted his allegations.
[ I or T ] to pull something back or in:
The wheels retract after the aircraft takes off.
The cat retracted its claws.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Admitting & confessing
- acknowledge
- acknowledgment
- admit
- admittedly
- avow
- back down
- climb
- come clean idiom
- concessionary
- eat
- eat your words idiom
- hand
- I stand corrected idiom
- make a clean breast of it idiom
- own up
- say
- self-confessed
- swallow
- swallow your words idiom
- take sth back
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Pulling
retractable
adjective uk/rɪˈtræk.tə.bəl/us/rɪˈtræk.tə.bəl/
Cats have retractable claws.
retraction
noun [ C ] uk/rɪˈtræk.ʃən/us/rɪˈtræk.ʃən/
The newspaper printed a retraction for their previous error.