as in to withdraw
to solemnly or formally reject or go back on (as something formerly adhered to)
the newspaper was forced to retract the story, which turned out to be based on fabricated reporting
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Recent Examples of retract
The peer filed a complaint against him before retracting it.
—
Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
OpenAI researcher retracts announcement of math breakthrough.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2025
At the gubernatorial debate, Spanberger repeated her condemnation of the messages but refused to retract her endorsement of Jones, saying Jones is running his own race and voters should decide what to do with the information.
—Margaret Barthel, NPR, 16 Oct. 2025
The grounds crews can work on the grass sections in tight quarters underneath the concourses and get grow lamps on them even when they’re retracted.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for retract
Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
OpenAI researcher retracts announcement of math breakthrough.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2025
At the gubernatorial debate, Spanberger repeated her condemnation of the messages but refused to retract her endorsement of Jones, saying Jones is running his own race and voters should decide what to do with the information.
—Margaret Barthel, NPR, 16 Oct. 2025
The grounds crews can work on the grass sections in tight quarters underneath the concourses and get grow lamps on them even when they’re retracted.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for retract
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retract
Verb
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After occupying Sinai, Britain and France succumbed to international pressure and withdrew their forces from Egypt in November.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
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In 2008, the American Academy of Pediatrics withdrew its guidance that said potential allergens should be avoided for high-risk babies, but didn’t have enough data to recommend introducing them early.—
Meg Tirrell,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The revelations about the emails led to both Andrew and Sarah renouncing their Duke and Duchess of York titles in the past two weeks.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
28 Oct. 2025
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Comedian Bill Maher suggests New York City Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani should renounce his Ugandan dual citizenship over the country’s record on LGBTQ+ rights, and slams the democratic candidate for his recent meeting with a New York Imam, also criticized for his stance on gay rights.—
The Hill,
The Hill,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The true-crime trappings offered a pointed tool for presenting evidence that contradicted the husbands’ oblivious assertions.—
Paula Mejía,
The Atlantic,
2 Nov. 2025
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Thompson turned to Preston Mui, a senior economist at Employ America, for a sector-by-sector breakdown of job openings since ChatGPT’s release, and the findings actually contradicted the AI narrative.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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His latest appeal was denied for review by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in May 2025, at which time Zellner announced her intent to file a petition in federal court, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.—
Nicole Briese,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
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Earlier this month, Ted Cruz said that more than 50,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria since 2009, a claim the Nigerian government denies.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Retract.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retract. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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