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 Jewish security is not achieved by retreating from the rest of New York. — Mark Treyger, New York Daily News, 8 Sep. 2026 The Himalayas are warming rapidly, glaciers are retreating and rainfall and snowfall patterns are shifting. — ABC News, 7 Sep. 2026 There was television, which, starting in the nineteen-fifties, kept kids indoors; also, houses got a lot bigger, and families smaller, so that most kids suddenly had the option of retreating to their own bedrooms. — Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026 Allgood enjoys retreating to the privacy of her own room after a busy day. — Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026 Stepping into the public sphere rather than retreating became both a survival strategy and a refuge—an assertion of political and artistic self-determination. — Elisa R. Linn, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026 The player reported that the man had opened a knife and moved toward him before retreating into his room. — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026 Or Pablo Picasso, goaded into radicalism by the latest bizarre creations of Matisse, retreating to the Spanish mountain village of Gósol and, mere months later, beginning work on his proto-cubist masterpiece, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2026 Achord is in the huddle every play before retreating to the sideline. — Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for retreating

Verb

The White House did not give a reason for withdrawing Schroyer's nomination.

— Luke Barr, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
Kraft rallied together several other stadium owners into withdrawing their venues from the tour if Macklemore had been allowed to perform.

— Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of withdrawing

Verb

During the 1980s, Los Angeles saw another influx of Latin American immigration, including Mexicans and Central Americans fleeing poverty and war.

— Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Following the incident, New Britain officials said witnesses reported seeing a vehicle fleeing the scene that was believed to possibly be involved.

— Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of fleeing

Verb

The other seats are all chained to the table for when Carrie sends everything in the room flying.

— Entertainment Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2026
In 1983, the 12m yacht Azzurra — flying the YCCS burgee — represented Italy for the first time in the long history of the America’s Cup, the oldest sports trophy in international sport, finishing third in the challenger series at its first attempt.

— Andrew Rice, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of flying

Verb

San Francisco is still bolting new pieces together, including fitting Mike Evans into the offense on the fly.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Involves engineering hurdles Building solar farms on open water involves far more engineering hurdles than bolting panels onto dry land.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of bolting

Verb

Three weeks earlier, his army suffered a catastrophic defeat at the Battle of Long Island, escaping destruction only through a desperate nighttime evacuation across the East River.

— Harry Ostrer, New York Daily News, 16 Sep. 2026
Sacramento police are searching for an e-bike rider who led officers on a chase Tuesday afternoon before getting onto Highway 99 and escaping.

— Richard Ramos, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of escaping

Verb

Detroit, of course, still ranks as one of the better base-running teams in the league.

— Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Before running for governor, Acton had been recruited by DeWine in 2019 to lead the Ohio Department of Health while serving as an associate professor of public health at Ohio State University.

— Gary Fields, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026