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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of retreating
Many are retreating from their DEI commitments.
—
Sankar Sen, The Conversation, 11 June 2026
However, over three days of fighting, a Union Army force sent Confederate soldiers retreating back to the South.
—Alia Beard Rau, USA Today, 10 June 2026
Josh Rojas tried to sacrifice him over to third, but his bunt went straight back to Orze, who threw to second base too late to catch the retreating Tolbert.
—CBS News, 6 June 2026
Similarly, retreating glaciers that form the Greenland Ice Sheet carve new valleys and reshape the physical geography, which will likely bring new challenges for the land mammals.
—Staff Author, Travel + Leisure, 1 June 2026
Haiti continues to stand before far larger powers — culturally, economically, politically — without retreating.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 30 May 2026
The video 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.
—Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
Instead of retreating from global trade, many small and mid-sized companies are leaning in and even accelerating global expansion.
—Greg Hewitt, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
Given the lackluster retail climate in China, Givenchy has been retreating from brick-and-mortar retail.
—Denni Hu, Footwear News, 25 May 2026
Sankar Sen, The Conversation, 11 June 2026
However, over three days of fighting, a Union Army force sent Confederate soldiers retreating back to the South.
—Alia Beard Rau, USA Today, 10 June 2026
Josh Rojas tried to sacrifice him over to third, but his bunt went straight back to Orze, who threw to second base too late to catch the retreating Tolbert.
—CBS News, 6 June 2026
Similarly, retreating glaciers that form the Greenland Ice Sheet carve new valleys and reshape the physical geography, which will likely bring new challenges for the land mammals.
—Staff Author, Travel + Leisure, 1 June 2026
Haiti continues to stand before far larger powers — culturally, economically, politically — without retreating.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 30 May 2026
The video 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.
—Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
Instead of retreating from global trade, many small and mid-sized companies are leaning in and even accelerating global expansion.
—Greg Hewitt, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
Given the lackluster retail climate in China, Givenchy has been retreating from brick-and-mortar retail.
—Denni Hu, Footwear News, 25 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retreating
Verb
-
There is no penalty for withdrawing funds after 65 for non-medical expenses, but the withdrawals will be taxable.—
Elliot Raphaelson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 June 2026
-
Israel’s military will continue to carry out operations in Lebanon for the time being and will not be withdrawing from the country, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday, despite the announcement of a new ceasefire.—
David Hickey,
NBC news,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Investigators said Kamara then exchanged gunfire with the second officer on scene before fleeing farther down the trail.—
Maggie Trovato,
Baltimore Sun,
9 June 2026
-
The poetic horror drama follows a young mother fleeing a toxic relationship and reconnecting with her grandmother, who carries wounds of her own.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Adraee, who is retiring this year, takes pride in his work.—
Melanie Lidman,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
-
Baby boomers are retiring at a rapid pace, and there are fewer younger workers paying into the system for every senior collecting monthly benefits.—
Scott Horsley,
NPR,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Arden, who wore a plaid jacket and laceless black sneakers, headed to the flying area.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
-
According to the researchers, bumblebee behavior is not limited to flying around and diving belly deep into pollen.—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
The series has developed a reputation for keeping children glued to the screen, as seen in videos that have gone viral on social media of babies bolting to the television upon hearing the marimba theme song.—
Iris Kwok,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
-
At the same time, the number of new hires and layoffs both tumbled after bolting higher in March; and voluntary quits fell to their lowest level in nearly six years, an indication of workers’ slipping confidence in the labor market.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
One theory is that a surprisingly large amount of crude is escaping the double blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, helping the global energy system absorb the historic shock.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
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Still others were escaping the horrors of the Pol Pot regime in Cambodia.—
Elizabeth Holtzman,
Time,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
His nagging hamstring strain prevents him pretty much only from running full speed, but that was enough to land him on the 10-day IL.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 June 2026
-
Ahead of this week’s record IPO, SpaceX disclosed that Google has agreed to pay it roughly $920 million a month for compute capacity at its Memphis campus, access to something on the order of 110,000 GPUs running into 2029.—
Robert J. Szczerba,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Retreating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retreating. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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