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 Cardinal and Lilly also set fresh record closes last week, before retreating modestly, as J & J has, in recent sessions. — Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 14 July 2026 And larger investors were already retreating from the single-family market. — Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 11 July 2026 On that note, with your celestial ruler, Venus, taking a dip in your sleepy 12th house of resting, retreating and surrendering to the ebb and flow of your spirit, you’re encouraged to slow down. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 9 July 2026 What’s more, despite retreating somewhat, high fuel prices continue to chomp away at motorists’ budgets. — Jim Gorzelany, Forbes.com, 7 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 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 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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for retreating

Verb

Tincon last spring said the concerns were unfounded and described itself as a responsible corporate neighbor, but ended up withdrawing its application before a vote.

— Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 18 July 2026
Pavlensky argues that his work is being used against him, while French authorities are assessing whether his criminal convictions justify withdrawing his asylum status.

— Harrison Jacobs, ARTnews.com, 17 July 2026

Definition of withdrawing

Verb

More than 500 people fleeing violence in Myanmar are feared dead after two boats disappeared in rough conditions off the country’s coast, according to two UN migration bodies.

— Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
In 1994 Goma and surrounding areas received hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing from the genocide and subsequent military operations that occurred in Rwanda that year, leading to a humanitarian crisis.

— Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 July 2026

Definition of fleeing

Verb

Fricker went on to star in another ITV drama Seekers, 1994 sports comedy Angels in the Outfield, 1997’s Masterminds, and 2011’s Albert Nobbs, before retiring from big-screen roles in 2015.

— Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 17 July 2026
The three-time Pro Bowl running back racked up 9,651 rushing yards and 55 rushing touchdowns in his NFL career, before retiring in 2017.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 July 2026

Definition of retiring

Verb

After flying toward a naval target over the Black Sea, the aircraft launched one of the supersonic missiles from a stand-off distance exceeding 120 kilometers, successfully destroying its target.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 14 July 2026
The Piper Tomahawk had been taken on a test flight by a flying instructor in his 20s after a part was replaced on the plane, the airline said.

— Charlotte Reck, CNN Money, 14 July 2026

Definition of flying

Verb

Mariano Rivera earned his 400th save, escaping two jams and getting six outs to preserve the New York Yankees’ 6-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

— Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026
After all, even Earth's helium is slowly escaping our own atmosphere.

— Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 16 July 2026

Definition of escaping

Verb

Compared with a commercial GPU running the same image-denoising task, the optical system delivered more than a hundred times faster inference while using only about one-ninth of the computational resources.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 13 July 2026
What can go wrong in the aorta The aorta is the body's largest artery, running from the heart down through the chest and abdomen.

— Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News, 13 July 2026