retreat
noun · verb
Simple meaning
Pulling back or withdrawing, as from something dangerous.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
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IPA pronunciation (US)
ɹitˈɹit
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.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The act of pulling back or withdrawing, as from something dangerous, or unpleasant.
The act of withdrawing or going backward (especially to escape something hazardous or unpleasant)
Withdrawal for prayer and study and meditation
“The religious retreat is a form of vacation activity.”
military
A signal to begin a withdrawal from a dangerous position
military
Withdrawal by a military force from a dangerous position or from enemy attack.
The act of reversing direction and receding from a forward position.
verb
Pull back or move away or backward
intransitive
To withdraw from a position, go back.
intransitive
To shrink back due to generally warmer temperatures. (of a glacier)
intransitive
To slope back.
To treat or deal with (a topic) again or differently.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The act of pulling back or withdrawing, as from something dangerous, or unpleasant.
Used this way, retreat is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly unfavourable pull. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Serious and weighty
- 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 retreat
- “The religious retreat is a form of vacation activity.”noun
- “The disorderly retreat of French troops.”noun
- “The Pope retreats to Castelgondolfo every summer.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
People who have retreated.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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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.