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

The protests began after Mouhcine Fikri, a poor fishmonger, was crushed to death in October 2016 while trying to retrieve fish from a trash compactor. — New York Times, "Moroccan Protest Leader Is Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison," 27 June 2018 Insider reported that the relic was saved after first responders created a dangerous human chain to retrieve the artifact from danger, with Father Jean-Marc Fournier leading the rescue. — Elizabeth Gulino, House Beautiful, "Here Are All Of The Precious Artifacts Saved From the Notre Dame Fire," 17 Apr. 2019 The fourth and final image is of the actor holding a stick to retrieve a glass from the fire. — Nicole Saunders, Harper's BAZAAR, "Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively Just Shared the Sweetest PDA Picture on Instagram," 15 Apr. 2019 Residents were allowed into their homes for a few minutes to retrieve personal belongings. — Marcelo Silva De Sousa, The Seattle Times, "Death toll from collapse of buildings in Brazil rises to 8," 14 Apr. 2019 The State Patrol is awaiting a search warrant for the vehicle to retrieve a gun believed to have been used in the shooting. — Gina Cole, The Seattle Times, "Man shot dead on Highway 520 bridge near Montlake," 26 Mar. 2019 Her parents and a brother spent last week visiting the site, beseeching investigators, Red Cross workers and the carrier’s chief executive in an ultimately vain effort to retrieve any remains or belongings. ... — Andy Pasztor, WSJ, "With Personal Connection to Crash, Ralph Nader Takes on Boeing," 20 Mar. 2019 Both of his cellphones were retrieved during the investigation. — Claudia Irizarry-aponte, Philly.com, "South Philly man, 31, pleads no contest to human trafficking," 7 June 2018 The court filing indicates that some of the suspicious messages were recovered from cloud storage of Manafort's phone, while others were retrieved from the phones of the two individuals, who have spoken to investigators about the contacts. — The Washington Post, OregonLive.com, "Paul Manafort plans to fight witness-tampering allegations," 5 June 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.