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

Relevance

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 But retreating indoors can come at a cost. — Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 18 June 2026 Officials said the dog's owner attempted to use bear spray while retreating from the area but was unsuccessful. — Richard Ramos, CBS News, 28 June 2026 What’s more, despite retreating somewhat, high fuel prices continue to chomp away at motorists’ budgets. — Jim Gorzelany, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026 Years on, living in Mumbai and retreating to the anonymity of the background row, she is gradually drawn back toward the stage. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 3 July 2026 Once again, Brazil’s midfield is quickly retreating towards their own goal as Morocco pile forward. — Mark Carey, New York Times, 6 July 2026 When things get dicey in Moscow, Vladimir Putin tends to drop out of sight for a while, retreating to one of his residences and canceling public events. — Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 1 July 2026 As light pollution has spread with urban development over the past two centuries, astronomers have increasingly been retreating into ever more remote locations. — Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 1 July 2026 Fast-forward to this week, and CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks hit intraday all-time highs Monday, before retreating a bit Tuesday. — Zev Fima, CNBC, 7 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for retreating

Verb

Serena Williams is withdrawing from Wimbledon doubles competition after injuring her knee at the tournament earlier this week.

— Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 4 July 2026
In an interview with The Sacramento Bee Wednesday, the labor leader behind Proposition 40 accused Newsom of failing to propose any alternative ahead of the June 25 deadline for withdrawing ballot measures.

— Ben Paviour July 2, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2026

Definition of withdrawing

Verb

Two Latinos are running in this year’s election to replace Councilmember Curren Price, who is Black and retiring after serving the maximum three terms.

— Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
Assistant County Administrator Bridgette Cobbins, who has worked for the Unified Government for three decades, is also retiring.

— Sofi Zeman July 2, Kansas City Star, 3 July 2026

Definition of retiring

Verb

At the heart of every Freak is its distinctive flying carousel architecture.

— Anthony DeMarco, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Surveillance footage captured by a camera on the affected home, shared by Avila's daughter Jennifer Barbour on Facebook, shows the vehicle flying off the road before striking the home.

— Greta Cross, USA Today, 7 July 2026

Definition of flying

Verb

The combination remained effective because escaping both antibodies required multiple simultaneous mutations rather than a single genetic change.

— William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Workers were able to prevent more than 1,000 other monkeys at the facility from escaping.

— Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026

Definition of escaping

Verb

The invite-only event was being hosted by Satisfy, the French running brand with a punk rock aesthetic.

— Grace Cook, Vogue, 7 July 2026
Hamilton’s hot fundraising start came after building anticipation for a campaign launch with a statewide listening tour where the founding pastor of the nation’s largest United Methodist church openly entertained running as an independent.

— Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 6 July 2026