retrieve
Americanverb (used with object)
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to recover or regain.
to retrieve the stray ball.
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to bring back to a former and better state; restore.
to retrieve one's fortunes.
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to make amends for.
to retrieve an error.
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to make good; repair.
to retrieve a loss.
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Hunting. (of hunting dogs) to fetch (killed or wounded game).
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to draw back or reel in (a fishing line).
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to rescue; save.
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(in tennis, squash, handball, etc.) to make an in-bounds return of (a shot requiring running with the hand extended).
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Computers. to locate and read (data) from storage, as for display on a monitor.
verb (used without object)
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Hunting. to retrieve game.
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to retrieve a fishing line.
noun
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an act of retrieving; recovery.
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the possibility of recovery.
verb
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to get or fetch back again; recover
he retrieved his papers from various people's drawers
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to bring back to a more satisfactory state; revive
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to extricate from trouble or danger; rescue or save
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to recover or make newly available (stored information) from a computer system
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(also intr) (of a dog) to find and fetch (shot game)
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tennis squash badminton to return successfully (a shot difficult to reach)
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to recall; remember
noun
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the act of retrieving
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the chance of being retrieved
Synonym Usage
See recover.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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retrievabilitynoun
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nonretrievableadjective
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retrievableadjective
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unretrievableadjective
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unretrievedadjective
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retrievablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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retrievesimple
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retrievessimple
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have retrievedperfect
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has retrievedperfect
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am retrievingprogressive
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are retrievingprogressive
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is retrievingprogressive
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have been retrievingperfect progressive
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has been retrievingperfect progressive
Past
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retrievedsimple
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had retrievedperfect
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was retrievingprogressive
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were retrievingprogressive
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had been retrievingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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
Explanation
When you retrieve something, you bring it back. Lots of dogs love to retrieve tennis balls, bringing them back to you over and over again. You might retrieve your cell phone from the car, or the toys a baby throws repeatedly on the floor. You can also retrieve a memory from the recesses of your mind, or struggle to remember someone's name and then suddenly retrieve it. A retriever is a dog that's bred to bring things back — in fact, this is the word's earliest use, from the fifteenth century. The Old French root is retreuver, "find again," from re-, "again," and trouver, "to find."
Vocabulary lists containing retrieve
Bud, Not Buddy
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Inside Out & Back Again
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Surviving Hitler
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Early doesn’t run like the Wayans brothers, dressed like women, trying to retrieve a stolen purse in “White Chicks.”
From Salon • Jun. 22, 2026
If you forgot the hard copies, you can retrieve the code by verifying your voter registration here.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026
Residents can currently book slots twice a day for accompanied visits to their homes to retrieve property.
From BBC • May 29, 2026
"They wanted to retrieve the body of a Catholic shepherd who had died of Ebola," the official said on condition of anonymity.
From Barron's • May 25, 2026
I lean over, retrieve his hat, and brush the dirt off.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
