retrieved; retrieving
1
: to locate and bring in (killed or wounded game)
2
: to call to mind again
Then memory withdrew further, retrieved the visit of two summers ago …—
George Green
George Green3
: to get back again : regain
4
6
: to remedy the evil consequences of : correct
were able to retrieve the situation
7
: to get and bring back
retrieved the letter
especially
: to recover from storage
retrieve information
: to bring in game
a dog that retrieves well
also
: to bring back an object thrown by a person
1
2
: the successful return of a ball that is difficult to reach or control (as in tennis)
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
Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 4 Nov. 2025
When the bodies of the drowned are retrieved, they’re sent to Alexandroupoli to be identified.
—Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
Best Overall Commerce writer Julia Harrison says that she has been known to eat, sleep, cook, snack, retrieve mail, do laundry, and entertain house guests in this full-length beauty.
—Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for retrieve
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Verb
The last expedition was in 1995 to retrieve the ship’s bell.
—Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 4 Nov. 2025
When the bodies of the drowned are retrieved, they’re sent to Alexandroupoli to be identified.
—Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
Noun
Her aim isn’t to dramatize a specific geopolitical conflict so much as retrieve from history a memory that Americans have spent decades repressing: the quiet, ongoing risk of nuclear collapse.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
Best Overall Commerce writer Julia Harrison says that she has been known to eat, sleep, cook, snack, retrieve mail, do laundry, and entertain house guests in this full-length beauty.
—Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for retrieve
Cite this Entry
“Retrieve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retrieve. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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