retrieval

American  

[ri-tree-vuhl] / rɪˈtri vəl /

noun

• retrievals
  plural

1. the act of retrieving.

2. the chance of recovery or restoration.

   Sadly, many aboriginal languages have been lost beyond retrieval.

3. Psychology. the act or process of accessing information previously encoded and stored in memory.

   The article explores the use of picture matching tasks to assist in word retrieval in aphasic patients.

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retrieval British  

/ rɪˈtriːvəl /

noun

1. the act or process of retrieving

2. the possibility of recovery, restoration, or rectification (esp in the phrase beyond retrieval )

3. a computer filing operation that recalls records or other data from a file

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• retrievals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of retrieval

First recorded in 1635–45; retrieve + -al ²

Explanation

The act of bringing something back is called retrieval. When you throw a tennis ball to Fido and he brings it back to you, that's retrieval. When you lose something and get it back, that's retrieval, whether it's a tote bag you accidentally left at the library or a file you can't find on your computer. In fact, the word retrieval is a common one in computer science, meaning "the act of accessing information." The word comes from the verb retrieve, which was first used in the fifteenth century to describe a hunting dog bringing a dead bird back from a field.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

retrieval retrievals

"Currently, we are focused on the retrieval, and after that we will proceed with the investigation," she said, confirming the bodies had been found in the ship's economy accommodation area.

From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026

Using imprint and retrieval protocols based on the QMM equations, we recovered the original quantum states with over 90% accuracy.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 18, 2026

Their testimony has described encounters with objects capable of manoeuvres far beyond known human technology, alongside claims of secretive crash retrieval programmes.

From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026

The cycle itself, including retrieval, transfer, testing and medications, ran $20,000 to $25,000, mostly out of pocket.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026

Ridgeway worked retrieval, heading north when constables sent word they’d captured a runaway from Virginia or North Carolina.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

From what I know about egg retrievals, it seems entirely plausible that this will be the case for you.

From MarketWatch ● May 11, 2026

The couple decided they would both undergo egg retrievals, figuring they had a better chance of retrieving more eggs while they were still in their 30s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025

"To determine the abundances of molecules in Wolf 1130C, I used a modeling technique known as atmospheric retrievals," said Gonzales.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 9, 2025

She and her partner struggled to conceive and ended up going through a couple of rounds of egg retrievals in the in-vitro fertilization process.

From Salon ● May 10, 2025

After years of miscarriages and egg retrievals, I did not have a baby.

From Slate ● Feb. 27, 2024