retreat
Americannoun
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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:
The space became a favorite retreat for the couple, who Menounos said would sometimes spend entire weekends there watching movies and TV shows.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
A broad retreat in global bond yields improved the backdrop for risk assets, but the scope for further declines may be limited, says Konstantinos Chrysikos at Kudo.com.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
Langley's song was written at a writing retreat in 2024, with assistance from country star Miranda Lambert.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
The $71 million Lake Washington home features a piazza, a wellness retreat and a garage that functions as a ballroom.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
After enough aggravation, he’d retreat into his shell and harden over, and that would be the end of it.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
As that protective cover retreats, coastal communities become more exposed to severe storms.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
As Wednesday's high retreats eastwards, the next area of low pressure will roll in bringing cloud and rain on Thursday.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
It is, of course, gobstoppingly gorgeous, with Mount Tamalpais, Stinson Beach, Point Reyes and Bolinas practically designed to be edenic retreats.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
Over the years, a slew of A-listers have taken their property portfolios to another level by purchasing entire islands, transforming secluded stretches of land into the ultimate celebrity retreats.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
Its only fixed manifestation is in the Fastnesses, retreats to which people may retire and spend the night or a lifetime.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
As leading insurers have retreated from California, one carrier has stepped in to fill the gap.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
After a selloff on Wall Street's three main indexes, Asia mostly retreated.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
The Dow Jones Industrial Average retreated 152.09 points, or 0.29%, to 52421.20.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
With mortgage rates in the 6% to 7% range over the past few years, buyers have retreated.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
I strayed from the path and retreated into the shadow of the wooded canopy, as I sensed Yakov had done.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
"Glaciers are retreating, permafrost and high-mountain slopes are becoming increasingly unstable, and communities and infrastructure downstream face growing risks from complex and cascading hazards," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
Once it was over, Sabalenka could only congratulate her at the net—before retreating to her chair and smashing her racket to pieces.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
Investor concerns about software-sector weakness and artificial-intelligence overspending are retreating, providing a boost to shares of Microsoft.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
Yet, every day ends with him retreating to his cave in exhaustion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Uhmma calls to his retreating back, Yuhboh, remember to call Gomo.
From "A Step from Heaven" by An Na
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.
