retract

Synonym Chooser

How is the word retract different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of retract are abjure, forswear, recant, and renounce. While all these words mean "to withdraw one's word or professed belief," retract applies to the withdrawing of a promise, an offer, or an accusation.

the newspaper had to retract the story

When would abjure be a good substitute for retract?

The words abjure and retract are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, abjure implies a firm and final rejecting or abandoning often made under oath.

abjured the errors of his former faith

In what contexts can forswear take the place of retract?

The meanings of forswear and retract largely overlap; however, forswear may add an implication of perjury or betrayal.

I cannot forswear my principles

When might recant be a better fit than retract?

While in some cases nearly identical to retract, recant stresses the withdrawing or denying of something professed or taught.

if they recant they will be spared

When is renounce a more appropriate choice than retract?

The synonyms renounce and retract are sometimes interchangeable, but renounce may carry the meaning of disclaim or disown.

renounced abstract art and turned to portrait painting

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of retract The special prosecutors’ report noted that the state’s case against Jackson in its entirety was based on statements that witnesses gave to detectives, only to then retract at trial, alleging a number of coercive tactics. Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2025 The window can pinch a passenger before retracting, increasing the risk of injury, according to the recall notice. Sara Chernikoff, USA Today, 29 July 2025 Ten Science studies have been retracted for unintended error since 2019, according to a spokesperson for the journal. Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 24 July 2025 An available bubbled roof space will allow that bed to retract flush with the rest of the headliner so as not to decrease the 78-in (198-cm) standing height throughout. New Atlas, 15 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for retract
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retract
Verb
  • Fear of one day having a family member detained or deported is linked with upticks in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a chronic anxiety that leads children and adolescents to avoid school or withdraw from public life, the study said.
    Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Aug. 2025
  • DuPage County has several ways to pay bills, including electronically by having funds withdrawn from a savings or checking account; by credit card, including Visa, MasterCard or Discover; via a wire transfer; or by having a bank write the check.
    Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 8 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Boulos, a lawful permanent resident who was born in New York but renounced his U.S. citizenship several years ago, was arrested on July 17 in Palm Beach County on an immigration violation charge and is being held at the Krome detention center.
    Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 31 July 2025
  • China has for decades claimed sovereignty over Taiwan and has never renounced the possible use of force to annex the self-governing island and unify it with the Chinese mainland.
    Jan Camenzind Broomby, NPR, 26 July 2025
Verb
  • Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has responded to the American Academy of Pediatrics' decision to release its own vaccine recommendations that contradict federal guidance.
    Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2025
  • Some anecdotes spiral forward—a ransom scheme emerges, bit by bit—but others contradict or undercut one another, while still more seem to exist purely as motifs.
    Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The goal of Gastineau’s memorandum is to convince U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, who is presiding over the case, to deny the motion to dismiss and advance the case into pretrial discovery.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 15 Aug. 2025
  • What will be making headlines as the season progresses? La Liga president Javier Tebas has been openly trying to stage official Spanish top-flight games in the United States since 2018, but until now has always been denied by a mix of political and practical factors.
    Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Retract.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retract. Accessed 24 Aug. 2025.

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