retraction

[ ri-trak-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act of retracting retract or the state of being retracted. retract.
2. withdrawal of a promise, statement, opinion, etc.:

   His retraction of the libel came too late.

3. retractile power.

Other Words From

• nonre·traction noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of retraction¹

1350–1400; Middle English retraccioun < Latin retractiōn- (stem of retractiō ), equivalent to Latin retract ( us ) ( retract ¹ ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

Hundreds of thousands of Americans died of a disease that spurred a massive retraction of social engagement.

From Washington Post

Smartmatic and Dominion also demanded retractions from Fox’s lesser-known competitors in conservative media, including Newsmax, One America News and the Epoch Times.

From Washington Post

On Tuesday, the New York Times acknowledged errors in how it rolled out the retraction of key episodes in its 2018 “Caliphate” podcast series.

From Washington Post

Many have also pushed back against calls for retraction, recommending that comments on the paper’s alleged flaws be submitted to the journal instead.

From Nautilus

The reason behind it is the use-it-or-lose-it ad spending that is usually expected in Q4, amplified by the spend retraction in Q2 and Q3 that is now reallocated to Q4 and, finally, the elections ad spend that is reducing inventory even more.

From Digiday

KERMIT:  Yes—just trying to save The Daily Beast from having to issue a retraction.

From The Daily Beast

Barricade offered to print a correction or a retraction, but every offer was rebuffed.

From The Daily Beast

This time, there was no retraction, and Clash quickly resigned from Sesame Street.

From The Daily Beast

Second, Skyfall is nowhere near as awesome as Casino Royale, so you need to offer a retraction on that as well.

From The Daily Beast

But one kinda doubts a bureaucrat would lie and then demand a retraction.

From The Daily Beast

Uncle Dick did not relish my retraction, and his near-sighted eyes glared at me in disgust.

From Project Gutenberg

The next week the Declarator retracted, in the manner in which it always retracted when a retraction was necessary.

From Project Gutenberg

Some of you profess to think its retraction would operate favourably for the Union.

From Project Gutenberg

An indignant protest from other citizens compelled the retraction of this letter before it was sent.

From Project Gutenberg

It is capable of considerable distension, and after retraction, to allow of the child passing down it from the Womb.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• annulment
• denial
• disavowal
• disclaimer
• repudiation
• reversal

More About Retraction

What is a retraction?

Retraction is the withdrawal of a statement or promise, such as in a news story. When a news outlet gets facts wrong in a story, they publish a retraction that states what facts were wrong and what the correct facts are.

In general, retraction is the act of pulling something back, such as the retraction of a payment (taking the payment back).

Example: If this turns out to be true, we’ll have to issue a retraction about last week’s issue.

Where does retraction come from?

The first records of the term retraction come from around 1350. It ultimately comes from the Latin retractiōn. It combines the term retract, meaning “to draw back,” with the suffix –ion, which creates nouns from verbs, like legion and opinion.

The main use of retraction defines a physical or digital retraction written with the intent of correcting misinformation in a previous work coming from the same source as the work it references.

Retraction can also describe the act of physically pulling something in toward oneself or reeling in a line, but it’s not very common outside of science and medicine.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to retraction?

• nonretraction (noun)

What are some synonyms for retraction?

• annulment
• contradiction
• reversal
• withdrawal
• disavowal

What are some words that share a root or word element with retraction? 

• retract
• tract

What are some words that often get used in discussing retraction?

• agreement
• fact
• false
• promise
• publication

What are some words retraction may be commonly confused with?

• redaction

How is retraction used in real life?

Retraction is usually used to refer to correcting something incorrect or false.

Any retraction in the news should have to be in the same space as the original headline, not in the bottom corner.

— Trevor Noah (@Trevornoah) May 12, 2017

I'd like to make an official retraction! #H50 has not been officially renewed for a 10th season yet. I got wrapped up in all the excitement and misspoke in a live interview. It happens, I'm human. I apologize for any misleading information. But fingers crossed!!!!!! Mahalo:)

— Michelle Borth (@michelleborth) April 18, 2019

RETRACTION! For live tweeting, the hashtag is #MindyPremiere! I'm so embarrassed of my earlier mistake

— Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) September 16, 2014

 

 

Try using retraction!

Is retraction used correctly in the following sentence?

A tortoise’s retraction of its head into its shell is a defense mechanism.