retrieve

verb

re·trieve | \ri-ˈtrēv

retrieved; retrieving

Definition of retrieve

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to locate and bring in (killed or wounded game)

2 : to call to mind again

3 : to get back again : regain

4a : rescue, salvage

b : to return (something, such as a ball or shuttlecock that is difficult to reach) successfully

5 : restore, revive his writing retrieves the past

6 : to remedy the evil consequences of : correct

7 : to get and bring back especially : to recover from storage retrieve information

intransitive verb

: to bring in game a dog that retrieves well also : to bring back an object thrown by a person

retrieve

noun

Definition of retrieve (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : retrieval

2 : the successful return of a ball that is difficult to reach or control (as in tennis)

Other Words from retrieve Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about retrieve

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Other Words from retrieve

Verb

retrievability \ri-ˌtrē-və-ˈbi-lə-tē

\ noun

retrievable \ri-ˈtrē-və-bəl

\ adjective

Examples of retrieve in a Sentence

Verb

Many archaeological relics were retrieved from the site. Police retrieved his stolen car. You can quickly retrieve data. The files were retrieved from the computer. He was able to retrieve the document. The dog is learning how to retrieve. The dog has been trained to retrieve birds.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

There are ways to remotely wipe the device, but retrieving information like texts, photos, and other on-device data not stored in the cloud is supposed to be technically impossible, at least not without exploiting a high-level vulnerability. — Nick Statt, The Verge, "DriveSavers claims it has a way to break into locked iPhones with 100 percent success," 27 Nov. 2018 In addition, from the host vessel, Ocean Infinity is able to deploy two work-class ROVs and heavy-lifting equipment capable of retrieving objects weighing up to 45 metric tons (approximately 50 US tons) from depths of up to 6,000 meters. — Sean Gallagher, Ars Technica, "Doomed Argentine sub found a year after its disappearance," 19 Nov. 2018 The aircraft was reportedly under 115 feet of water, but Goglia said that shouldn’t keep investigators in retrieving the crucial black boxes. — Barbara S. Peterson, Popular Mechanics, "How Could a Brand New Boeing Jet Crash Without Warning?," 31 Oct. 2018 On average, about 70 to 80 percent of eggs that are retrieved are mature. — Horacio Salinas, Allure, "The Rise of Egg Freezing as a Fertility Choice," 15 Oct. 2018 Women pay upward of $15,000 to hormonally stimulate and retrieve their eggs—most often out of pocket, as most health insurers do not cover the procedure—plus an additional fee to store them, which ranges from $300 to $1,000 a year. — Kayla Webley Adler, Marie Claire, "When Your Dreams of Motherhood Are Destroyed," 1 Oct. 2018 The heroic Clipper staff crawled through the aisles on their knees, handing out and retrieving vomit bag after vomit bag. — Paige Collins, The Seattle Times, "Bad Travelers: A harrowing crossing on the Victoria Clipper," 17 Sep. 2018 And at first, rescuing the spacecraft seemed plausible: The engineers retrieved some initial data from the satellite and confirmed its batteries were still working. — Meghan Bartels, Space.com, "Long-Lost Spacecraft That NASA Rediscovered This Year Is Incommunicado," 30 Aug. 2018 Using those two pieces of information, a hacker could theoretically retrieve every one of a user’s messages through a phishing scheme that relies on that custom URL scheme. — Nick Statt, The Verge, "Airmail issues fix for security flaw that could let hackers read your email," 22 Aug. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The event featured a big air, extreme vertical, speed retrieve and iron dog competitions. — Lindsey Salvatelli, Lake County News-Sun, "High-flying dogs make a splash at Libertyville Dog Days," 8 July 2018 Both are short, fat floaters that wobble down to a foot or two on a steady retrieve. — Joe Songer, AL.com, "See video of a turkey hunter calling up a bobcat," 30 Apr. 2018 Make contact with the rocks on the high bluff sides and then slow your retrieve. — Tyler Mahoney Special To The Star, kansascity, "Fishing report: Uneven weather makes for mixed results on the water | The Kansas City Star," 28 Mar. 2018 Some anglers use a larger, lightly weighted swimbait to catch these guys, allowing it to flutter down through the surface action before starting the retrieve. — Frank Sargeant, AL.com, "Find the bait, find the bass," 30 Aug. 2017 Too slow a retrieve gives the fish too much time to shake off. — Mark Yuasa, The Seattle Times, "Lake trout, rainbows and kokanee top the “to do” list of fishing activities around Lake Chelan," 19 May 2017 Too fast a retrieve allows the fish leverage to tear off the hooks. — Mark Yuasa, The Seattle Times, "Lake trout, rainbows and kokanee top the “to do” list of fishing activities around Lake Chelan," 19 May 2017 Minnich said the best way to fish it for shallow-water reds is with a steady retrieve. — Todd Masson, NOLA.com, "This trout lure even better for redfish, angler says," 17 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'retrieve.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.