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
The leading hypothesis for the ultimate source of the Ebola virus, and where it retreats in between outbreaks, lies in bats.
It exists only in his memory, so he retreats into the confines of his mind.
The Walking Dead’s Luke Skywalker: Rick Grimes Is the Perfect Modern-Day Mythical Hero | Regina Lizik | October 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTOne side advances, one retreats, but the details are mostly irrelevant to Mother Courage.
His comical antics come to an end once the guard retreats to his box after giving his fellow guardsman a thumbs-up.
Hunt To Identify Pirouetting 'Bearskin' Guardsman Who Shamed Army | Tom Sykes | September 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTNancy retreats to her own kitchen briefly, quickly eating a meal of kale and eggs before getting back to her friends.
I have seen the retreats of continental armies in my time; they are always a scene of horrors.
If a cliff shore retreats rapidly, it may be driven back into the shore, and its face assumes the curve of a small bay.
Outlines of the Earth's History | Nathaniel Southgate ShalerIn rejecting this system, she had no friend to conduct her to the warm, sheltered, and congenial retreats of evangelical piety.
Madame Roland, Makers of History | John S. C. AbbottHence those great devotions, those austere retreats from the world, of which some of them have given an example.
Camille (La Dame aux Camilias) | Alexandre Dumas, filsAs she sees the thief she stifles a scream and retreats, backing the man out behind her.
Fifty Contemporary One-Act Plays | Various
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.
Browse