retreat
the forced or strategic withdrawal of an army or an armed force before an enemy, or the withdrawing of a naval force from action.
the act of withdrawing, as into safety or privacy; retirement; seclusion.
a place of refuge, seclusion, or privacy: The library was his retreat.
an asylum, as for the insane.
a retirement or a period of retirement for religious exercises and meditation.
Military.
a flag-lowering ceremony held at sunset on a military post.
the bugle call or drumbeat played at this ceremony.
the recession of a surface, as a wall or panel, from another surface beside it.
to withdraw, retire, or draw back, especially for shelter or seclusion.
to make a retreat: The army retreated.
to slope backward; recede: a retreating chin.
to draw or lead back.
Idioms about retreat
beat a retreat, to withdraw or retreat, especially hurriedly or in disgrace.
Origin of retreat
1synonym study For retreat
Other words for retreat
2 | departure, withdrawal |
3 | shelter |
8 | leave, pull back |
Opposites for retreat
Other words from retreat
- re·treat·al, adjective
- re·treat·er, noun
- re·treat·ive, adjective
Words that may be confused with retreat
- re-treat, retreat
How to use retreat in a sentence
He never ate where he killed, and he never left a track that betrayed his re-treat.
Wild Animals I Have Known | Ernest Thompson Seton
British Dictionary definitions for retreat
/ (rɪˈtriːt) /
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
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
Origin of retreat
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with retreat
see beat a retreat.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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