retreat (rɪˈtriːt
)
Definitions
verb (mainly intr)
- 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
- to retire or withdraw, as to seclusion or shelter
- (of a person's features) to slope back; recede
- (tr) chess to move (a piece) back
noun
- the act of retreating or withdrawing
- military
- a withdrawal or retirement in the face of the enemy
- a bugle call signifying withdrawal or retirement, esp (formerly) to within a defended fortification
- retirement or seclusion
- a place, such as a sanatorium or monastery, to which one may retire for refuge, quiet, etc
- a period of seclusion, esp for religious contemplation
- an institution, esp a private one, for the care and treatment of people who are mentally ill, infirm, elderly, etc
Word Origin
C14: from Old French retret , from retraire to withdraw, from Latin retrahere to pull back; see retractSynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
withdraw,
retire,
back off,
draw back,
leave,
go back,
shrink,
depart,
fall back,
recede,
pull back,
back away,
recoil,
give ground,
turn tail,
=
climb down,
change your decision
backtrack,
do a U-turn
reconsider,
change your mind
flip-flop,
concede defeat
back-pedal,
eat your words
Usage examples
Kevin's head seemed to shrink into his shoulders, like a tortoise in retreat.
, DEAD BEAT (2002)Recently renovated, it is the ultimate romantic hideaway and the perfect weekend retreat.
Country Life (2005)A jump in oil prices to recent six-month highs near $25 per barrel outweighed the retreat in food prices, pushing overall inflation higher.
Irish Times (2002)It was the final stop on the Deeside line because Queen Victoria did not want trains any nearer her beloved Scottish retreat.
Glasgow Herald (2001)He also took them and their mother for weekends in the rural retreat he'd recently bought in Ulster County, upstate New York.
, DE NIRO: A Biography (2002)