Synonyms of retreating

retreating

verb

present participle of retreat

1

as in withdrawing

to move back or away (as from something difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable)

we retreated to the safety of the cellar at the first sign of the tornado

Synonyms & Similar Words

• withdrawing
• retiring
• fleeing
• receding
• evacuating
• pulling out
• falling back
• giving way
• losing ground
• flying
• dropping back
• backing away
• leaving
• shrinking
• flinching
• recoiling
• detaching
• giving ground
• abandoning
• departing
• going
• vacating
• disengaging
• backtracking
• disentangling
• backpedaling
• climbing down
• pulling away
• quitting
• backing down
• bowing out
• chickening (out)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• advancing
• confronting
• facing
• daring
• defying
• breasting
• braving
• bearding
• brazening
• outbraving

2

as in fleeing

to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening

the untried soldiers retreated in humiliating disarray almost as soon as the enemy's onslaught began

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fleeing
• flying
• bolting
• escaping
• running
• breaking
• skedaddling
• running away
• beating a retreat
• running off
• beating it
• turning tail
• bugging out
• making tracks
• hightailing (it)
• decamping
• absconding
• scramming
• getting (away)
• eloping
• getting out
• skipping (out)
• making off
• scarpering
• clearing out
• lighting out
• lamming
• scatting
• mizzling
• skirring

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• confronting
• facing
• daring
• defying
• braving
• remaining
• staying
• lingering
• dwelling
• hanging around
• bearding
• abiding
• tarrying
• sticking around

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of retreating

Gabriel Moreno hit an RBI single in the fourth and, after Kyle Hart walked the bases loaded in the sixth, Perdomo cleared them with a double that bounced off the glove of retreating center fielder Jackson Merrill and then off the padded fence. — ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026

The brand has been retreating by the month back to its roots in Florida. — Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026

In doing so, Congress would be retreating from the notion that Medicare can control how many services physicians provide on a national basis, an idea that has undergirded Medicare’s doctor payments for decades. — John Wilkerson, STAT, 24 Sep. 2026

After leaving The Cosby Show and A Different World, Bonet divorced Kravitz, retreating from the spotlight and focusing on raising daughter Zoë. — Eric King, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Sep. 2026

The Jakobshavn glacier in Greenland is now retreating up to 164 feet a day, Otosaka said. — Seth Borenstein, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026

The American has the ball in the centre, with Leeds attacking at pace and Liverpool retreating. — Beren Cross, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

The yield briefly crossed 5% on Monday, its highest level since October 2023, before retreating. — Sean Conlon,chloe Taylor,lee Ying Shan,ananya Chetia, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026

But Jewish security is not achieved by retreating from the rest of New York. — Mark Treyger, New York Daily News, 8 Sep. 2026