retreat

[ ri-treet ]

/ rɪˈtrit /

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See synonyms for: retreat / re-treated / re-treating / re-treats on Thesaurus.com

noun

the forced or strategic withdrawal of an army or an armed force before an enemy, or the withdrawing of a naval force from action.

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

a place of refuge, seclusion, or privacy: The library was his retreat.

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)

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

to make a retreat: The army retreated.

to slope backward; recede: a retreating chin.

to draw or lead back.

OTHER WORDS FOR retreat

2 departure, withdrawal.

3 shelter.

8 leave, pull back.

See synonyms for retreat on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR retreat

1 advance.

8, 9 engage, advance.

See antonyms for retreat on Thesaurus.com

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Idioms about 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

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

Other definitions for retreat (2 of 2)

re-treat

[ ree-treet ]

/ riˈtrit /

verb (used with or without object)

to treat again.

Origin of re-treat

First recorded in 1880–85; re- + treat

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH re-treat

re-treat , retreat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use retreat in a sentence

That could mean building expensive sea walls, replacing and moving huge stormwater pipes and perhaps the retreat of real estate from the old shoreline.
Sacramento Report: Lawmakers Start Setting the Table|Sara Libby and MacKenzie Elmer|December 11, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Price indexes early next year will be compared with the sharp retreats experienced in March and April, which may push inflation to, or above, the Fed’s 2% goal.
Investors are pricing in inflation for 2021. Here’s why it’s likely to be a mirage|Lee Clifford|December 7, 2020|Fortune
The House endorsed a landmark retreat in the nation’s decades-long war on drugs Friday, voting to remove marijuana from the federal schedule of controlled substances and provide for the regulation and taxation of legal cannabis sales.
House votes to decriminalize marijuana as GOP resists national shift on pot|Mike DeBonis|December 4, 2020|Washington Post
To build relationships and solve problems, some of these spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on retreats with employees and their families.
Future of remote work perk: The company – and family – retreat|Lucinda Southern|September 21, 2020|Digiday

CEO Joel Gascoigne and the team outline the increased productivity, freedom, and strong working relations that come from a remote company and regular retreats.
Future of remote work perk: The company – and family – retreat|Lucinda Southern|September 21, 2020|Digiday
Goodman retreated to house arrest at his luxury mansion on $4 million bail.
Money, Murder, and Adoption: The Wild Trial of the Polo King|Jacqui Goddard|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He and the troops then retreated across New Jersey to a winter redoubt.
George Washington, the First Vaxxer|Tom Shachtman|October 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She retreated into the lobby, but only to call for backup and an ambulance.
Manhunt for a Cop-Hating Pennsylvania ‘Survivalist’|Michael Daly|September 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Once you raised it, a massed army was wasting away, whether it fought or not, or whether it advanced, retreated, or stood still.
Why the U.S. Army Is Stuck in the 19th Century|Bill Sweetman|September 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But at around 12 months, B. seemed to regress, and by age 2, he had fully retreated into his own world.
The Daily Beast’s Best Longreads, Aug 3, 2014|The Daily Beast|August 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Not being sufficiently numerous to hold out the town as well as the Alamo, they retreated into the latter.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
Our army, under the command of General Houston, was in front of Harrisburg, to which place the congress had retreated.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
Black Sheep retreated to the nursery and read "Cometh up as a Flower" with deep and uncomprehending interest.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling
Lannes retreated slowly on Essling, his troops suffering severely from the re-formed Austrian batteries.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
As the Americans retreated, the insurgents crept up, aided by a mist, to within short range and fired another volley.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman

British Dictionary definitions for retreat

retreat

/ (rɪˈtriːt) /

verb (mainly intr)

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

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with retreat

retreat

see beat a retreat.

retreat

OTHER WORDS FOR retreat

OPPOSITES FOR retreat

Idioms about retreat

Origin of retreat

synonym study for retreat

OTHER WORDS FROM retreat

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH retreat

Other definitions for retreat (2 of 2)

Origin of re-treat

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH re-treat

Words related to retreat

How to use retreat in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for retreat

Word Origin for retreat

Other Idioms and Phrases with retreat