Synonyms of retreats

retreats 1 of 2

noun

plural of retreat

1

as in withdrawals

an act of moving away especially from something difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable

we made a strategic retreat when we realized that we were outnumbered

Synonyms & Similar Words

• withdrawals
• retirements
• pullouts
• pullbacks
• recessions
• routs
• recoils
• revulsions
• flinches
• disengagements
• disentanglements

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• advances
• advancements

2

as in refuges

something (as a building) that offers cover from the weather or protection from danger

her bedroom served as a retreat from the frequent arguing between her parents

the abandoned cabin was a welcome retreat from the storm

Synonyms & Similar Words

• refuges
• shelters
• sanctuaries
• havens
• residences
• asylums
• lodgings
• bolt-holes
• harbors
• sanctums
• oases
• hideouts
• abodes
• quarters
• dwellings
• harborages
• hideaways
• ports
• moorings
• strongholds
• rests
• houses
• anchorages
• screens
• domiciles
• fortresses
• housings
• places
• roofs
• cloisters
• hermitages
• habitations
• forts
• dens
• castles
• coverts
• sheds
• lairs
• diggings
• redoubts
• covers
• pads
• closets
• lodgments
• palisades
• windbreaks
• lees
• lean-tos

retreats

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of retreat

1

as in withdraws

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

• withdraws
• retires
• flees
• recedes
• falls back
• pulls out
• drops back
• evacuates
• gives way
• backs away
• flies
• recoils
• gives ground
• leaves
• shrinks
• flinches
• loses ground
• detaches
• chickens (out)
• goes
• abandons
• departs
• disengages
• climbs down
• vacates
• pulls away
• backs down
• backtracks
• backpedals
• bows out
• quits
• disentangles

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• advances
• confronts
• dares
• faces
• breasts
• defies
• braves
• brazens
• outbraves
• beards

2

as in flees

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

• flees
• flies
• escapes
• runs
• bolts
• breaks
• beats a retreat
• runs away
• runs off
• beats it
• turns tail
• hightails (it)
• makes tracks
• skedaddles
• absconds
• bugs out
• decamps
• skips (out)
• elopes
• gets (away)
• gets out
• lights out
• lams
• makes off
• scats
• clears out
• scrams
• scarpers
• mizzles
• skirrs

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• confronts
• dares
• faces
• defies
• stays
• remains
• dwells
• braves
• lingers
• hangs around
• abides
• beards
• sticks around
• tarries

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of retreats

Noun

These retreats, held throughout the year, fill up time after time with participants looking to find a sense of peace in the mountains of Virginia. — Heather Bien, Southern Living, 28 Oct. 2026

The trend blends landscape design with wellness thinking, turning ordinary yards into immersive retreats built to calm the body through scent, sound, texture and water. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 28 Oct. 2026

With such retreats come organic marketing budget cuts, and this one was significantly less than $30M worldwide. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2026

Sylge, who has spent the last 30 years attending and organizing health and wellness retreats around the world, developed this exercise to help people reclaim their time. — Margaret Cirino, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026

The Door offers seven-day retreats, reasoning that that’s the amount of time required to bring you back to you. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026

With a foreword by fashion designer Jenna Lyons, the book showcases a variety of distinct residential projects, from city penthouses and lakeside retreats to coastal sanctuaries, culminating in their first luxury yacht project. — Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026

After hours, Neo-Vision parks his body in the bar’s walk-in fridge and retreats to a mind palace modeled after a British country manor. — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026

While traditional spa retreats still have their place, there’s a case for dedicating an entire trip to being a beginner, then continuing to build those skills at home. — Julia Eskins, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2026

Verb

Retreats from early-childhood care The Goldwyn closure comes as another major Los Angeles institution retreats from providing care. — Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026

Meanwhile, Mercury stations retrograde in Scorpio and Venus retreats into Libra, joining Saturn retrograde in Aries, Uranus in Gemini, and Neptune in Aries. — Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026

But even as the characters reflect at length on the virtue of putting themselves out there, their series too often retreats within itself instead. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2026

Olivia Studio60, Womack Studios, Disney+ A celebrity TV weatherman retreats with his daughter to his estranged father’s olive groves, reopening old wounds. — Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026

Tennessee Williams’ autobiographical drama centers on a writer haunted by deserting his delusional mother Amanda and sister Laura, who’s painfully shy and retreats to her collection of glass animals. — Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 17 Sep. 2026

The front retreats to the north, but chances of rain stick around into early Friday as the shortwave (small disturbance) pushes out of the area. — Michael Autovino, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026

Havelock neither retreats to the closet nor holds out hope for resolution via vigilante justice. — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026

With the bulk of his work at practice done for the day, Achord retreats to the back of the end zone with Koonz, squatting and scribbling something on paper. — Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026