retreat
Americannoun
-
retreats
plural
-
the forced or strategic withdrawal of an army or an armed force before an enemy, or the withdrawing of a naval force from action.
- Antonyms:
- advance
-
the act of withdrawing, as into safety or privacy; retirement; seclusion.
- Synonyms:
- withdrawal, departure
-
a place of refuge, seclusion, or privacy.
The library was his retreat.
- Synonyms:
- shelter
-
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)
-
retreats,
present (3rd person singular)
-
retreated,
past participle, past
-
retreating
present participle
idioms
verb
-
military to 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) chess to 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
Synonym Usage
See depart.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
retreatsimple
-
retreatssimple
-
have retreatedperfect
-
has retreatedperfect
-
am retreatingprogressive
-
are retreatingprogressive
-
is retreatingprogressive
-
have been retreatingperfect progressive
-
has been retreatingperfect progressive
Past
-
retreatedsimple
-
had retreatedperfect
-
was retreatingprogressive
-
were retreatingprogressive
-
had been retreatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of retreat
First recorded in 1300–50; (for the noun) Middle English retret, from Old French, variant of retrait, noun use of past participle of retraire “to draw back,” from Latin retrahere ( retract 1 ); (for the verb) late Middle English retreten, from Middle French retraitier, from Latin retractāre “to reconsider, withdraw” ( retract 2 )
Explanation
The noun retreat means a place you can go to be alone, to get away from it all. A spot under a shady tree might be your favorite retreat from the sun, or your bedroom in the basement may serve as a retreat from your siblings. In the military sense, the noun retreat means the withdrawal of troops. The British retreat after the Battles of Lexington and Concord gave the American colonists an early taste of victory during the American Revolution. As a verb, retreat means to back out of something — like a lawyer who is forced to retreat from his argument when the opposing evidence is too convincing.
Vocabulary lists containing retreat
Vocabulary from the Introduction to "Reality is Broken" by Jane McGonigal
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"Of Mice and Men"
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"Marriage is a Private Affair" by Chinua Achebe
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
While running for California governor in 2018, Gavin Newsom declared that he would rather be bold and fail than retreat to the safety of mediocrity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2026
They added: "We will never retreat from Wales being an outward-looking and globally responsible nation."
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
The U.S. dollar slipped against major rivals as traders weighed the implications of the retreat in oil prices for Federal Reserve monetary policy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
The same ice and rock formations that give Vega Island its skull shape are vulnerable to changes as the glaciers retreat.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026
She and Dad have a deal where she’s pretending she’s on a rural writer’s retreat and getting her writing work done.
From "Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer" by Kelly Jones
With its ballroom and meeting facilities, the resort is able to attract conventions, corporate retreats and weddings as well as high-end tourism, Reay said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
Those changes may have included slab rollback, a process in which a descending tectonic plate retreats as it sinks into Earth's interior, as well as the migration of volcanic arcs to new locations.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026
A well-financed customer can continue building when a weaker competitor retreats.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
And it’s happening right before everybody retreats to the bargaining table for the negotiation that will determine the future of the sport.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
Instead I do a nice, loud chest beat, and after a moment the doctor retreats.
From "The One and Only Ivan" by Katherine Applegate
The Nasdaq-100 retreated as selling pressure picked back up Monday, with chip stocks selling off sharply.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026
Utilities also retreated in August, led by a contraction in electric power activity as nuclear stations in Ontario and New Brunswick underwent maintenance outages.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Over recent decades, the glacier has become thinner and retreated rapidly.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026
The rush out of tech has, however, boosted industrial companies overlooked for much of the AI boom, with the Dow rising this week while the Nasdaq and S&P 500 retreated.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026
He didn’t want to but she insisted, and he retreated to a sulky silence.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
Shy, retreating Minnie was happy to bask in Callie’s light, while Helen’s existence was almost entirely dedicated to her only daughter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
Strong central bank buying will provide future support, but likely won’t keep prices from retreating further, Hamad Hussain of Capital Economics says in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
Wilson said the correction that began in June is now in the final innings, with both the S&P 500 retreating as breadth improves.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026
Bushby says he has only spent about 15 of the 28 years walking, often retreating to Mexico, where costs are low, between stints.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
Then Ben saw Sammy’s shadow, quiet as a ferret, retreating along the same route he had advanced, but stopping behind each tree to ensure that he had not been seen.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
