retract

verb

re·​tract ri-ˈtrakt 

retracted; retracting; retracts

transitive verb

1

: to draw back or in

cats retract their claws

2

a

: take back, withdraw

retract a confession

b

: disavow

The newspaper retracted the story.

intransitive verb

1

: to draw or pull back

2

: to recant or disavow something

retractable

ri-ˈtrak-tə-bəl 

adjective

Synonyms of retract

• withdraw
• renounce
• contradict
• deny

Choose the Right Synonym for retract

abjure, renounce, forswear, recant, retract mean to withdraw one's word or professed belief.

abjure implies a firm and final rejecting or abandoning often made under oath.

abjured the errors of his former faith

renounce may carry the meaning of disclaim or disown.

renounced abstract art and turned to portrait painting

forswear may add an implication of perjury or betrayal.

I cannot forswear my principles

recant stresses the withdrawing or denying of something professed or taught.

if they recant they will be spared

retract applies to the withdrawing of a promise, an offer, or an accusation.

the newspaper had to retract the story

recede, retreat, retract, back mean to move backward.

recede implies a gradual withdrawing from a forward or high fixed point in time or space.

the flood waters gradually receded

retreat implies withdrawal from a point or position reached.

retreating soldiers

retract implies drawing back from an extended position.

a cat retracting its claws

back is used with up, down, out, or off to refer to any retrograde motion.

backed off on the throttle

Examples of retract in a Sentence

A cat can retract its claws.

The pilot retracted the plane's landing gear.

The plane's landing gear failed to retract.

Their college grants were retracted.

They retracted the job offer.

Recent Examples on the Web

Elon Musk, SpaceX’s founder and CEO, attributed the scrub to a hydraulic pin that failed to retract on an umbilical arm connecting the launch tower to the rocket. —Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 22 May 2026

Eveningside’s smaller arms holding on to the chains while Morningside’s longer arms propelled them, her fists and excess joints braced against the ground; their span lengthening, extending and retracting in the girls’ to and fro. —Literary Hub, 20 May 2026

The organization is demanding that the Canadian Museum for Human Rights halt work on the exhibition, commission an independent legal and scholarly review of its contents, and publicly retract its statements that Israel has committed human rights violations against Palestinian, among other demands. —Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 19 May 2026

Additionally, the original research study that supported the movement was retracted. —Anne Readel, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin retractus, past participle of retrahere — more at retreat

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for retract

• abstract
• attacked
• attract
• contact
• contract
• detract
• distract
• enact
• exact
• extract
• hijacked
• impact

Kids Definition

retract

verb

re·​tract ri-ˈtrakt 

1

: to draw or pull back or in

a cat can retract its claws

2

: to withdraw (as an offer, a statement, or a claim)

the newspaper retracted the story

retractable

-ˈtrak-tə-bəl 

adjective

Medical Definition

retract

transitive verb

re·​tract ri-ˈtrakt 

: to draw back or in

retract the lower jaw

compare protract

intransitive verb

: to draw something (as tissue) back or in

also : to use a retractor