RETREATING Synonyms: 78 Similar and Opposite Words

retreating

verb

present participle of retreat

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 retreating Stepping into the public sphere rather than retreating became both a survival strategy and a refuge—an assertion of political and artistic self-determination. — Elisa R. Linn, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026 The player reported that the man had opened a knife and moved toward him before retreating into his room. — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026 Or Pablo Picasso, goaded into radicalism by the latest bizarre creations of Matisse, retreating to the Spanish mountain village of Gósol and, mere months later, beginning work on his proto-cubist masterpiece, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2026 Achord is in the huddle every play before retreating to the sideline. — Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 At a moment when Washington is retreating from its responsibilities, New York is stepping up for vulnerable immigrant children. — Meena Shah, New York Daily News, 23 Aug. 2026 Earlier this year, the yellow metal reached record highs near $5,600 before retreating and posting its worst quarter since 2013. — Sean Conlon,justina Lee,fred Imbert,chloe Taylor, CNBC, 20 Aug. 2026 It’s made up of nine river rooms and three junior suites, so staying here feels more like retreating to a private waterside residence than checking into a city stay. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Aug. 2026 Yet some of retail’s fastest-growing companies are not retreating from physical stores. — Ayşe Çetinel, Harvard Business Review, 18 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for retreating

Verb

Van Aert’s victory extends his lead over Brennan to 65 points in the uncompetitive green jersey contest, with his only realistic rival, Lidl-Trek’s Mads Pedersen, withdrawing from the race earlier this week.

— Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
The council eventually agreed in May to delay implementation of the minimum wage increase by 18 months in exchange for the business coalition withdrawing the gross receipts measure.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of withdrawing

Verb

Survivors find shelter in Kathmandu Some flood survivors are fleeing the devastation to seek shelter in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu.

— Shristi Kafle, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
In past months, he has been charged with second-degree kidnapping, fleeing elude police, firearm charges and assault charges.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of fleeing

Verb

Grichuk put a good swing on a slider while flying out to left field.

— LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
It was later revealed that the plane had been overloaded by 700 pounds and the pilot, who had cocaine and alcohol in his system, was not authorized to be flying, according to CBS.

— Liza Esquibias, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of flying

Verb

Involves engineering hurdles Building solar farms on open water involves far more engineering hurdles than bolting panels onto dry land.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 21 Aug. 2026
Above all, embed accuracy into explainability rather than bolting it on afterward.

— Sriram Bhargav Madhav, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of bolting

Verb

The film, which will include stop-motion animation and live-action sequences, is an adaptation of Shane Jones’ cult novel exploring the tension between escaping war through imagination and confronting its reality.

— Alexandra Patterson, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026
The tiny, colorful birds will spend winter in Mexico and Central America, escaping the cold and snow in Michigan, before returning in spring 2027.

— Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of escaping

Verb

Immediately, several social media users accused him of running another scheme.

— Larry Neumeister, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
The festival sits on 16 acres and will have more 175 crafters, 50 food and drink booths and 25 stages of entertainment running all day.

— Rashad Alexander August 31, Kansas City Star, 31 Aug. 2026