Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for retreat

retreat

[ ri-treet ]

noun

  1. the forced or strategic withdrawal of an army or an armed force before an enemy, or the withdrawing of a naval force from action.

    Antonyms: advance

  2. the act of withdrawing, as into safety or privacy; retirement; seclusion.

    Synonyms: withdrawal, departure

  3. a place of refuge, seclusion, or privacy:

    The library was his retreat.

    Synonyms: shelter

  4. an asylum, as for the insane.
  5. a retirement or a period of retirement for religious exercises and meditation.
  6. Military.
    1. a flag-lowering ceremony held at sunset on a military post.
    2. the bugle call or drumbeat played at this ceremony.
  7. the recession of a surface, as a wall or panel, from another surface beside it.


verb (used without object)

  1. to withdraw, retire, or draw back, especially for shelter or seclusion.

    Synonyms: leave

    Antonyms: advance, engage

  2. to make a retreat:

    The army retreated.

    Antonyms: advance, engage

  3. to slope backward; recede:

    a retreating chin.

  4. to draw or lead back.

retreat

/ rɪˈtriːt /

verb

  1. 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
  2. to retire or withdraw, as to seclusion or shelter
  3. (of a person's features) to slope back; recede
  4. tr chess to move (a piece) back
“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


noun

  1. the act of retreating or withdrawing
  2. military
    1. a withdrawal or retirement in the face of the enemy
    2. a bugle call signifying withdrawal or retirement, esp (formerly) to within a defended fortification
  3. retirement or seclusion
  4. a place, such as a sanatorium or monastery, to which one may retire for refuge, quiet, etc
  5. a period of seclusion, esp for religious contemplation
  6. an institution, esp a private one, for the care and treatment of people who are mentally ill, infirm, elderly, etc
“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
Discover More

Other Words From

  • re·treatal adjective
  • re·treater noun
  • re·treative adjective
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of retreat1

First recorded in 1300–50; (for the noun) Middle English retret, from Old French, variant of retrait, noun use of past participle of retraire “to draw back,” from Latin retrahere ( retract 1 ); (for the verb) late Middle English retreten, from Middle French retraitier, from Latin retractāre “to reconsider, withdraw” ( retract 2 )
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of retreat1

C14: from Old French retret , from retraire to withdraw, from Latin retrahere to pull back; see retract
Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. beat a retreat, to withdraw or retreat, especially hurriedly or in disgrace.

More idioms and phrases containing retreat

see beat a retreat .
Discover More

Synonym Study

See depart.
Discover More

Example Sentences

On a spring morning in 2002, the Sierra Club’s leaders gathered at the historic Ralston White Retreat, tucked between towering redwood trees on the side of Mount Tamalpais, high above the San Francisco Bay.

From Salon

Later that summer he led a discussion about population and the border at a board retreat in Michigan, and at the next board meeting, according to the minutes, he continued to press the issue, saying that “immigration drives us to higher fertility.”

From Salon

Despite being hugely outnumbered, the men held their position for three days, giving their comrades enough time to retreat and successfully defend the city.

From BBC

Both men were killed in January 1951 as they were forced to retreat by a wave of Chinese soldiers.

From BBC

In our modern era, when democracy is not just a system of laws or a set of elections but a life practice of people who work together with others to set a collective destiny, it’s crucial that we hold fast to that because the alternative is to retreat, as you noted, into solitude.

From Slate

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


retreadretreatant