retreat

¹re·treat

noun \ri-ˈtrēt\

Definition of RETREAT

1

a (1) : an act or process of withdrawing especially from what is difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable (2) : the process of receding from a position or state attained <the retreat of a glacier> b (1) : the usually forced withdrawal of troops from an enemy or from an advanced position (2) : a signal for retreating c (1) : a signal given by bugle at the beginning of a military flag-lowering ceremony (2) : a military flag-lowering ceremony

2

: a place of privacy or safety : refuge

3

: a period of group withdrawal for prayer, meditation, study, or instruction under a director

Examples of RETREAT

1. Some of her friends were surprised by her retreat from public life following her defeat in the election.
2. <we made a strategic retreat when we realized that we were outnumbered>

Origin of RETREAT

Middle English retret, from Anglo-French retrait, from past participle of retraire to withdraw, from Latin retrahere, from re- + trahere to draw

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to RETREAT

Synonyms: pullback, pullout, recession, retirement, withdrawal

Antonyms: advance, advancement

Related Words: rout; flinch, recoil, revulsion, shrinking; disengagement, disentanglement

see all synonyms and antonyms

[+]more[-]hide

Other Military Terms

bivouac, logistics, petard, salient, sally, supernumerary, tactical

Rhymes with RETREAT

accrete, aesthete, afreet, athlete, backbeat, backseat, backstreet, bedsheet, bench seat, big beat, bolete, box pleat, box seat, break beat, broadsheet, browbeat, buckwheat, bystreet, call sheet, car seat, cheat sheet, clipsheet, cloud street, cold feet, compete, compleat, complete, conceit, concrete, crabmeat, crib sheet, deadbeat, dead heat, dead meat, deceit, defeat, delete, deplete, discreet, discrete, disseat, downbeat, drop seat, drumbeat, dutch treat, effete, elite, en suite, entreat, escheat, excrete, facete, Fleet Street, fly sheet, forcemeat, foresheet, four-peat, gamete, groundsheet, hard wheat, heartbeat, heat-treat, helpmeet, hoofbeat, hot seat, house seat, ice sheet, ill-treat, jump seat, kick pleat, love seat, mainsheet, Main Street, maltreat, mesquite, mincemeat, mistreat, offbeat, Ossete, petite, pink sheet, preheat, rap sheet, receipt, recheat, red heat, red meat, red wheat, regreet, repeat, replete, scratch sheet, secrete, side street, slip-sheet, soft wheat, spreadsheet, stand treat, swap meet, sweetmeat, tear sheet, terete, three-peat, through street, time sheet, unmeet, unseat, upbeat, vegete, volkslied, white heat