retrieve

play

verb re·trieve \ri-ˈtrēv\

Definition of retrieve

retrieved

;

retrieving

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, salvageb : 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

retrievability

play \-ˌtrē-və-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

retrievable

play \-ˈtrē-və-bəl\ adjective

See retrieve defined for English-language learners

See retrieve defined for kids

Examples of retrieve in a Sentence

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 of retrieve from the Web

That's when Munising locals retrieved the heavy items from the lawn (plucking flowers the wife had planted in the commode) and re-sank them amid the ruins of the ship.

— chris mcnamara, chicagotribune.com, "A deep dive into Michigan's eerie, beautiful Shipwreck Coast," 18 July 2017
After ceilings deform, the shoring material generally cannot be retrieved from the ice subsurface, and so researchers must leave it behind.

— eli kintisch, Science | AAAS, "Massive balloons help polar scientists build underground tunnels," 13 July 2017
During renovations, Palm management had allowed about 500 local customers to retrieve their old caricatures from the walls.

— michael klein, Philly.com, "The Palm to reopen this weekend after more than a year," 11 July 2017
As part of Sammarco’s investigation, Gabriel’s body was exhumed last month so that investigators could retrieve his tablet computer, which his mother had buried with him.

— anne saker, Cincinnati.com, "Coroner: No change to finding that 8-year-old Gabriel Taye died a suicide," 6 July 2017
Gustin retrieved the ring Tuesday and gave Gottfried a gift card to Morton's The Steakhouse as way to thank her.

— erin hegarty, Naperville Sun, "Naperville councilwoman turns to Facebook to find lost wedding ring," 5 July 2017
Mr. Long, 29, wrote in the letter, which the authorities retrieved from his car after the assault on July 17, 2016.

— alan blinder, New York Times, "Gunman Called Police Shootings a ‘Necessary Evil’ in a Suicide Note," 30 June 2017
That number can then be entered into a database to find the animal’s owner and retrieve their contact information.

— joshua stewart, sandiegouniontribune.com, "County offering free microchips for dogs," 27 June 2017
On a mission to retrieve the tech CEO Gavin Belson (Matt Ross) from his retreat at a Tibetan monastery, Erlich gets waylaid at an opium den; a frustrated Gavin pays the proprietors to keep him busy there for five years.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "How Will Silicon Valley Work Without T.J. Miller?," 26 June 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.

Origin and Etymology of retrieve

Middle English retreven, from Anglo-French retrueve-, present stem of retrover to find again, from re- + trover to compose, invent, find, from Vulgar Latin *tropare — more at troubadour

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1814

See Words from the same year

retrieve

noun re·trieve

Definition of retrieve

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

Recent Examples of retrieve from the Web

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

First Known Use of retrieve

1658

RETRIEVE Defined for English Language Learners

retrieve

play

verb

Definition of retrieve for English Language Learners

: to get and bring (something) back from a place
: to find and get (information) from a computer or disk
: to find and bring birds or animals that have been shot back to a hunter

RETRIEVE Defined for Kids

retrieve

play

verb re·trieve \ri-ˈtrēv\

Definition of retrieve for Students

retrieved

;

retrieving

1 : to get and bring back One of the players retrieved the ball.
2 : to find and bring back killed or wounded game The dog learned to retrieve birds.