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.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

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

How to use retrieve in a sentence

There was no sign of Ferrier, and Hogue gave up the idea of retrieving her as well.
‘I Saved My Friend From Bill Cosby’|Lloyd Grove|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Many in the audience nodded in approval, and then Bergdahl talked about the work of retrieving his son.
Bergdahl’s Dad: Drone Killed Captor’s Kid|Michael Ames|June 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Retrieving him at least reminds soldiers that we will never abandon them to their fates, right or wrong.
We Lost Soldiers in the Hunt for Bergdahl, a Guy Who Walked Off in the Dead of Night|Nathan Bradley Bethea|June 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The hacker code that pulled and published millions was retrieving numbers at a rate of 1,500 each minute.
Meet Graham Smith, SnapChat’s 16-Year-Old Nemesis|Nina Strochlic|January 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

She said in documents that he had kicked her out of the home then prevented her at gunpoint from retrieving her young child.
The Militiaman Next Door|Mary M. Chapman|April 2, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Then, retrieving their net, they once more fastened Raf into it and turned downstream, as intent as ever upon reaching the sea.
Star Born|Andre Norton
I stood up and began retrieving the torn papers; they passed them back to me without saying anything.
The Professional Approach|Charles Leonard Harness
He saw his errors now—only too plainly—but they were beyond retrieving.
The Varmint|Owen Johnson
On this impossibility of retrieving the past the force of the argument entirely depends.
The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Hebrews|Thomas Charles Edwards
He was dropping the ball and picking it up, bouncing it on the ground and catching it, retrieving it in every manner imaginable.
Red Dynamite|Roy J. Snell

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 related to retrieve

How to use retrieve in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for retrieve

Derived forms of retrieve

Word Origin for retrieve