retraction
noun
re·trac·tion
ri-ˈtrak-shən 
1
: an act of recanting
specifically
: a statement made by one retracting
His charges were false, and he was forced to make/issue a retraction.
2
: an act of retracting : the state of being retracted
retraction of the plane's landing gear
3
: the ability to retract
Examples of retraction in a Sentence
His charges were false, and he was forced to make a retraction.
the retraction of the plane's landing gear
Recent Examples on the Web
Views of the original tweet and the retraction reached almost 600,000 as of Saturday night.
—
Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2026
The lawsuit, filed in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court for Miami-Dade County, Florida, seeks unspecified damages and a public retraction of statements Sun made on social media about World Liberty Financial.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 4 May 2026
The retraction notice received minimal attention until it was shared on Bluesky and LinkedIn by Williamson.
—Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 4 May 2026
Alongside its request for a retraction, the SPLC filed a motion asking for grand jury transcripts to make sure false statements weren't used to secure the indictment.
—ABC News, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for retraction
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Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2026
The lawsuit, filed in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court for Miami-Dade County, Florida, seeks unspecified damages and a public retraction of statements Sun made on social media about World Liberty Financial.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 4 May 2026
The retraction notice received minimal attention until it was shared on Bluesky and LinkedIn by Williamson.
—Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 4 May 2026
Alongside its request for a retraction, the SPLC filed a motion asking for grand jury transcripts to make sure false statements weren't used to secure the indictment.
—ABC News, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for retraction
Cite this Entry
“Retraction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retraction. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
retraction
noun
re·trac·tion
ri-ˈtrak-shən
1
: a statement taking back something previously said
2
: an act of retracting : the state of being retracted
3
: the ability to retract
Medical Definition
retraction
noun
re·trac·tion
ri-ˈtrak-shən
: an act or instance of retracting
specifically
: backward or inward movement of an organ or part
retraction of the nipple or skin overlying the tumor —The Journal of the American Medical Association
The Journal of the American Medical Association Legal Definition
retraction
noun
re·trac·tion
ri-ˈtrak-shən
: an act of taking back or withdrawing
retraction of a confession
her retraction of the defamatory statement
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