re-treat

[ ree-treet ]

/ riˈtrit /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR re-treat ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with or without object)

to treat again.

Nearby words

Origin of re-treat

First recorded in 1880–85; re- + treat

Can be confusedre-treat retreat

retreat

[ ri-treet ]

/ rɪˈtrit /

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.

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

SYNONYMS FOR retreat

2. departure, withdrawal. 3. shelter. 8. leave, pull back.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR retreat ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR retreat

1, 8, 9. advance.

SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR retreat ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsre·treat·al, adjectivere·treat·er, nounre·treat·ive, adjective

Can be confusedre-treat retreat

Synonym study

8. See depart.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for retreating

Hamdan also appears to be retreating when the lethal shot is fired.
A New Intifada? Israel’s Arab Citizen Uprising Spreads|Creede Newton|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For retreating in 1999, Sharif was overthrown in a coup by the army commander, Pervez Musharraf, who had planned the Kargil War.
ICYMI: India-Pakistan Head for Nuke War|Bruce Riedel|October 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And President Obama has caused more carnage in Iraq by retreating than other presidents caused by invading.
Up to a Point: Shrugging Our Way Back to War in Iraq|P. J. O’Rourke|August 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Batman resents Superman for disbanding the Justice League and retreating into isolating.
The Super-Stuffed Superhero Movie|Chancellor Agard|December 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Finally, many will ask why I am coming forward publicly, instead of simply blowing the whistle and retreating into the shadows.
Why I Am Blowing the Whistle|Nathaniel Stein|June 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Treading water he listened intently for a few moments, and then made out the sound of retreating footsteps.
The Boy Allies On the Firing Line|Clair W. Hayes
It was not even necessary on this occasion to fall upon the retreating enemy.
Owen Glyndwr and the Last Struggle for Welsh Independence|Arthur Granville Bradley
She was in the trenches the day of the Armisticetalked with Germans; not prisoners, you understandbut the retreating Germans.
Out of the Air|Inez Haynes Irwin
It was too late for him singly to attempt to rally the retreating troops.
The Rise of the Dutch Republic, Volume II.(of III) 1566-74|John Lothrop Motley
Elsie's childlike eyes had been watching the evening shadow of the cliffs creep along the valley after the retreating sunlight.
Bloom of Cactus|Robert Ames Bennet

British Dictionary definitions for retreating

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

Word Origin and History for retreating

retreat

c.1300, "a step backward;" late 14c., "act of retiring or withdrawing; military signal for retiring from action or exercise," from Old French retret, noun use of past participle of retrere "draw back," from Latin retrahere "draw back, withdraw, call back," from re- "back" (see re-) + trahere "to draw" (see tract (n.1)). Meaning "place of seclusion" is from early 15c.; sense of "establishment for mentally ill persons" is from 1797. Meaning "period of retirement for religious self-examination" is from 1756.

retreat

early 15c., "to draw in, draw back, leave the extremities," from retreat (n.) and in part from Old French retret, past participle of retrere. Meaning "to fall back from battle" is mid-15c. Related: Retreated; retreating.

Idioms and Phrases with retreating

retreat

see beat a retreat.

re-treat

verb (used with or without object)

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Nearby words

Origin of re-treat

retreat

noun

verb (used without object)

Origin of retreat

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for retreating

retreat

verb (mainly intr)

noun

Word Origin for retreat

retreat

retreat

retreat