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retract

verb · noun

Simple meaning

To pull back or back inside.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

reetrakt

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ɹitˈɹækt

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. transitive

    To pull (something) back or back inside.

  2. intransitive

    To draw back; to draw up; to withdraw.

  3. transitivespecificallyzoology

    To draw (an extended body part) back into the body.

  4. transitive

    To cancel or take back (something, such as an edict or a favour or grant previously bestowed); to rescind, to revoke.

  5. transitive

    To break or fail to keep (a promise, etc.); to renege.

  6. transitivephonetics

    To pronounce (a sound, especially a vowel) farther to the back of the vocal tract.

noun

  1. An act of retracting or withdrawing (a mistake, a statement, etc.); a retraction.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C2 · Proficient
Frequency
Uncommon
Typical Use
Primarily written

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: To draw back; to draw up; to withdraw.

Used this way, retract is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use retract

  • “He retracted his earlier statements about his religion.”verb

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

now retractgently retract

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.