51Թ

Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for

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

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

    The library was his retreat.

    Synonyms:
  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:
    Antonyms: ,
  2. to make a retreat.

    The army retreated.

    Antonyms: ,
  3. to slope backward; recede.

    a retreating chin.

  4. to draw or lead back.

retreat

/ ɪˈٰː /

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 51Թ Forms

  • retreatal adjective
  • retreater noun
  • retreative adjective
Discover More

51Թ 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 ٰ “to reconsider, withdraw” ( retract 2 )
Discover More

51Թ 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.

Discover More

Synonym Study

See depart.
Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

It's not just music either, there's a wellness retreat where visitors can sit in hot tubs and paddle board.

From

Musk’s retreat from Washington comes after his electric vehicle company Tesla sputtered amid economic turmoil — caused by a mixture of his own declining favorability and some shareholders reportedly losing confidence in his leadership.

From

Without Landy, Wilson regressed quickly — back on drugs, overeating, retreating to his bedroom.

From

Instead, with years of trauma to work through, she retreats into herself — exactly the outcome her sisters hoped to prevent.

From

At some point, deputies began shooting flash-bang grenades at the crowd, forcing them to retreat.

From

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

Advertisement


re-treadre-treat