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 Glaciers all over the world -- especially in Antarctica -- are also retreating at a rapid pace, recent research shows. —

ABC News, 9 Apr. 2026 The alarmed father then began retreating while shouting for their daughter to drive away. —

Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2026 The video, shot from a distance in the dark, appears to show a person standing with a snow shovel outside the house, near the street, then retreating toward the house and tossing the shovel into the yard. —

Steve Karnowski, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026 Before retreating into the basilica, Leo stepped forward out of the loggia's shadow and waved to the cheering crowd below. —

Arkansas Online, 6 Apr. 2026 Ndiaye also declined to clear the ball, instead trying to thread a pass to retreating teammate Jake Dengler inside the 18-yard box. —

Idaho Statesman, 5 Apr. 2026 Police said security footage from the store shows customers staring and retreating before 53-year-old Tammy Canut of North Huntingdon walks into the frame naked. —

Meghan Schiller, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026 Assuming six weeks of supply disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, the company predicts oil prices peaking at $115 per barrel in April and retreating by nearly a third to $80 by the end of the year. —

Alison Saldanha, Dallas Morning News, 27 Mar. 2026 Cruz initially stepped toward home plate before helplessly retreating, allowing a catchable ball to soar over his head. —

Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for retreating

Verb

Scheffler, who tends to keep his golf separate from his home life, had not shared any information since withdrawing from the Houston Open two weeks ago because of the impending birth of his second child.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Apr. 2026
However, legislation passed under the previous Biden administration in December 2023 would prevent any president from withdrawing the United States from NATO without two-thirds approval from the Senate or an Act of Congress.

— Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026