retreat

[ ri-treet ]
/ rɪˈtrit /

noun

verb (used without object)

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
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decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
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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

SYNONYMS FOR retreat

2 departure, withdrawal.
3 shelter.
8 leave, pull back.

ANTONYMS FOR retreat

1, 8, 9 advance.

synonym study for retreat

8. See depart.

OTHER WORDS FROM retreat

re·treat·al, adjectivere·treat·er, nounre·treat·ive, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH retreat

re-treat retreat

Words nearby retreat

retractor, retrain, retrainee, retral, retread, retreat, retreat from reality, retreatant, retreatism, retrench, retrenchment
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for beat a retreat

retreat
/ (rɪˈtriːt) /

verb (mainly intr)

noun

Word Origin for retreat

C14: from Old French retret, from retraire to withdraw, from Latin retrahere to pull back; see retract
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with beat a retreat (1 of 2)

beat a retreat

Also, beat a hasty retreat. Reverse course or withdraw, usually quickly. For example, I really don't want to run into Jeff—let's beat a retreat. This term originally (1300s) referred to the military practice of sounding drums to call back troops. Today it is used only figuratively, as in the example above.

Idioms and Phrases with beat a retreat (2 of 2)

retreat

see beat a retreat.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.