retreat

American  

[ri-treet] / rɪˈtrit /

noun

1. 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

2. the act of withdrawing, as into safety or privacy; retirement; seclusion.

   Synonyms:

   withdrawal, departure

3. a place of refuge, seclusion, or privacy.

   The library was his retreat.

   Synonyms:

   shelter

4. an asylum, as for the insane.

5. a retirement or a period of retirement for religious exercises and meditation.

6. Military.

   1. a flag-lowering ceremony held at sunset on a military post.

   2. the bugle call or drumbeat played at this ceremony.

7. the recession of a surface, as a wall or panel, from another surface beside it.

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verb (used without object)

retreats, present (3rd person singular) retreated, past participle, past retreating present participle

1. to withdraw, retire, or draw back, especially for shelter or seclusion.

   Synonyms:

   leave

   Antonyms:

   advance, engage

2. to make a retreat.

   The army retreated.

   Antonyms:

   advance, engage

3. to slope backward; recede.

   a retreating chin.

4. to draw or lead back.

idioms

1. beat a retreat, to withdraw or retreat, especially hurriedly or in disgrace.

retreat British  

/ rɪˈtriːt /

verb

1. 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

2. to retire or withdraw, as to seclusion or shelter

3. (of a person's features) to slope back; recede

4. (tr) chess to move (a piece) back

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noun

1. the act of retreating or withdrawing

2. military

   1. a withdrawal or retirement in the face of the enemy

   2. a bugle call signifying withdrawal or retirement, esp (formerly) to within a defended fortification

3. retirement or seclusion

4. a place, such as a sanatorium or monastery, to which one may retire for refuge, quiet, etc

5. a period of seclusion, esp for religious contemplation

6. an institution, esp a private one, for the care and treatment of people who are mentally ill, infirm, elderly, etc

retreat More Idioms  

1. see beat a retreat.

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Synonym Usage

See depart.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• retreatal
  adjective
• retreater
  noun
• retreative
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have retreated
  perfect
• has retreated
  perfect 3rd person singular
• is retreating
  progressive 3rd person singular
• am retreating
  progressive 1st person singular
• has been retreating
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• retreats
  singular 3rd person
• retreating
  participle
• are retreating
  progressive
• have been retreating
  perfect progressive

Past

• had retreated
  perfect
• was retreating
  progressive singular
• were retreating
  progressive plural
• had been retreating
  perfect progressive
• retreated
  simple
• retreated
  participle

Future

• will retreat
  simple
• will have retreated
  perfect
• will have been retreating
  perfect progressive
• will be retreating
  progressive

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.

Example Sentences

Fans who had already arrived at Inter&Co Stadium were told to evacuate from the stands and retreat to a safe position on the concourses to avoid lightning strikes.

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026

The solicitation marks a retreat in quantity but an upgrade in quality.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

Technology stocks tumbled on Tuesday, extending a swoon that began in early June, as investors anxiously await the historic SpaceX IPO later this week and retreat from hot parts of the artificial-intelligence playbook.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026

Technology stocks tumbled on Tuesday, extending a swoon that began in early June, as investors anxiously await the historic SpaceX IPO later this week and retreat from hot parts of the AI playbook.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

After earlier negotiations had broken down, Confederate President Jefferson Davis had ordered Johnston to retreat while the politicians held out for more favorable terms of surrender.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Related Words

• abandon
• back down
• back off
• backtrack
• depart
• escape
• evacuate
• fall back
• go
• go back
• hide
• leave
• pull out
• recede
• reel
• retire
• reverse
• shrink
• withdraw