retract
1 Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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to draw or shrink back.
-
to withdraw a promise, vow, etc.
-
to make a disavowal of a statement, opinion, etc.; recant.
verb
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(tr) to draw in (a part or appendage)
a snail can retract its horns
to retract the landing gear of an aircraft
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to withdraw (a statement, opinion, charge, etc) as invalid or unjustified
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to go back on (a promise or agreement)
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(intr) to shrink back, as in fear
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phonetics to modify the articulation of (a vowel) by bringing the tongue back away from the lips
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of retract1
1400–50; late Middle English retracten < Latin retractus, past participle of retrahere to draw back, equivalent to re- re- + tractus ( see tract 1)
Origin of retract2
1535–45; < Latin retractāre to reconsider, withdraw, equivalent to re- re- + tractāre to drag, pull, take in hand (frequentative of trahere to pull)
Explanation
Have you ever said something you wish you could retract, or take back? You're not alone. Even newspapers and magazines have sections where the editors can retract something written that was incorrect. The sense of the word retract meaning to draw back or withdraw comes from the mid-16th century, and its meaning was clear when Napoleon Bonaparte said, "In politics...never retreat, never retract...never admit a mistake." Still, sometimes you wish you could retract something you said or did. Cats can retract their claws, and some snakes can retract their fangs, but words spoken in anger can never be fully retracted, or taken back.
Vocabulary lists containing retract
Change Your Mind
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100 SAT words Beginning with "R"
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Henry David Thoreau "Civil Disobedience" (1849)
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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.
Instead, the cybercriminals are asking the agency to retract an advisory that it issued about the gang, saying it was "offended" by its characterisation.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
Jeanie Buss’ attorney demanded her brothers retract statements the Buss family is selling its 17.8% ownership stake, citing a court ruling she is to be owner for life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
She even called legendary labor leader Dolores Huerta to try to get her to retract her endorsement of Wiener.
From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2026
The wee powered hardtop mechanism does retract, after a fashion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026
It was a terrible thing to him to retract a word, but to retract it in shame was infinitely worse.
From "The Red Pony" by John Steinbeck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
