retrieve

[ ri-treev ]

/ rɪˈtriv /

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See synonyms for: retrieve / retrieved / retrieving on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), re·trieved, re·triev·ing.

to recover or regain: to retrieve the stray ball.

to bring back to a former and better state; restore: to retrieve one's fortunes.

to make amends for: to retrieve an error.

to make good; repair: to retrieve a loss.

Hunting. (of hunting dogs) to fetch (killed or wounded game).

to draw back or reel in (a fishing line).

to rescue; save.

(in tennis, squash, handball, etc.) to make an in-bounds return of (a shot requiring running with the hand extended).

Computers. to locate and read (data) from storage, as for display on a monitor.

verb (used without object), re·trieved, re·triev·ing.

Hunting. to retrieve game.

to retrieve a fishing line.

noun

an act of retrieving; recovery.

the possibility of recovery.

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Origin of retrieve

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English retreven, from Middle French retroev-, retreuv-, tonic stem of retrouver “to find again,” equivalent to re-re- + trouver “to find”; see trover

synonym study for retrieve

1. See recover.

OTHER WORDS FROM retrieve

re·triev·a·ble, adjectivere·triev·a·bil·i·ty, nounnon·re·triev·a·ble, adjectiveun·re·triev·a·ble, adjective

un·re·trieved, adjective

Words nearby retrieve

retrial, retribution, retributive, retributivism, retrieval, retrieve, retriever, retro, retroact, retroaction, retroactive

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

How to use retrieve in a sentence

Funeral directors couldn’t quickly answer the calls of grieving families, much less retrieve bodies.
The Leader of New York’s “City of the Dead” Cashes In. Again.|by Carson Kessler|July 25, 2022|ProPublica
The cop reholsters his gun, and it seems to have ended with no further bloodshed as he moves to retrieve the knife.
Synagogue Slay: When Cops Have to Kill|Michael Daly|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When gunshots burst out, she ran to retrieve her child from school and returned to her house just as a bomb hit next door.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis|Nina Strochlic|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After weeks of training, the first mission set out to retrieve Kent Brantly, an American doctor.
The American Ebola Rescue Plan Hinges on One Company. Meet Phoenix.|Abby Haglage|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST

He put it down his shirt and asked her to retrieve it, saying she was “all talk” and “no play” when she refused.
Speed Read: Lena Dunham’s Most Shocking Confessions From ‘Not That Kind of Girl’|Kevin Fallon|September 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rising to retrieve it, I offer her what meager reassurance I can muster.
The Stacks: Grateful Dead I Have Known|Ed McClanahan|August 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I could not stop to retrieve the question papers with a pair of tongs—as I might, had I not been hurried.
Ruth Fielding At College|Alice B. Emerson
From that moment he did everything that mortal man could do to retrieve his fatal mistake.
"Shiloh" as Seen by a Private Soldier|Warren Olney
This young king continued the war, but was unable to retrieve the ill-fortunes of his people.
The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, Volume 5|Hubert Howe Bancroft
As Parr moved to retrieve these, his companions called out to halt him.
The Devil's Asteroid|Manly Wade Wellman
Lady Evenswood, with a quick perception, tried to retrieve the observation.
Tristram of Blent|Anthony Hope

British Dictionary definitions for retrieve

retrieve

/ (rɪˈtriːv) /

verb (mainly tr)

to get or fetch back again; recoverhe retrieved his papers from various people's drawers

to bring back to a more satisfactory state; revive

to extricate from trouble or danger; rescue or save

to recover or make newly available (stored information) from a computer system

(also intr) (of a dog) to find and fetch (shot game)

tennis squash badminton to return successfully (a shot difficult to reach)

to recall; remember

noun

the act of retrieving

the chance of being retrieved

Derived forms of retrieve

retrievable, adjectiveretrievability, nounretrievably, adverb

Word Origin for retrieve

C15: from Old French retrover, from re- + trouver to find, perhaps from Vulgar Latin tropāre (unattested) to compose; see trover, troubadour

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

retrieve

Origin of retrieve

synonym study for retrieve

OTHER WORDS FROM retrieve

Words nearby retrieve

Words related to retrieve

How to use retrieve in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for retrieve

Derived forms of retrieve

Word Origin for retrieve