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 When hunger calls, head to Osteria del Sotto Sale for fresh seafood and pasta before retreating to Dimora dell'Olivastro, a tranquil guesthouse set among olive groves. —

Nicky Swallow, Travel + Leisure, 17 May 2026 And the country’s disconnection from the regime comes as Putin has removed himself from public life, literally retreating into a bunker. —

Jason Ma, Fortune, 16 May 2026 Shares in Europe are tracking Asian markets' overnight declines after South Korea's benchmark Kospi index slid more than 6% on Friday, retreating from a fresh record high above 8,000, as broader Asia-Pacific markets fell. —

Hugh Leask,joseph Wilkins, CNBC, 15 May 2026 Also like last fall, The Voice will launch on two nights, Monday and Tuesday, before retreating to Mondays a couple of weeks in when NBA, plus baseball playoffs, take over Tuesday. —

Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 11 May 2026 Miller took the setback in stride, retreating to craft new restrictions on migration that used laws designed to protect the nation from disease to cut refugee admissions and block asylum seekers after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. —

Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 11 May 2026 That deadlock prompted an unusually long recess of nearly 90 minutes that was followed by a 6-0 vote in favor of retreating on the bus stops. —

David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2026 Many of them have been linked to retreating glaciers, as melting ice destabilizes the mountains and land that had been covered for centuries. —

Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 6 May 2026 Alaska Time would have awoken them as the north fjord wall crumbled just in front of the retreating tongue of the South Sawyer Glacier. —

Megan I. Gannon, Scientific American, 6 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for retreating

Verb

Even then, there’s a penalty on withdrawing funds before five years.

— John Towfighi, CNN Money, 18 May 2026
For an account worth $200,000, for example, this could mean withdrawing a five-figure sum of money each year, depending on the age of the account holder.

— Matt Richardson, CBS News, 18 May 2026