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

Fortune’s efforts to speak directly with participants in Armstrong’s and Lev’s retreats were unsuccessful. — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2026

Four-day yoga retreats on the riverbank, nature walks, and helicopter flights over Victoria Falls are just some of the activities on offer. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Oct. 2026

Its 52 villas, all with private pools and heaps of space, come from the drawing board of Belgian designer Jean-Michel Gathy, and range from lofty beachfront retreats to hillside hideaways. — Chris Schalkx, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2026

The Key Biscayne waterfront compound became one of the most recognizable presidential retreats of the era. — Luisa Yanez october 7, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026

But change isn’t the same thing as a reset, and that’s where the promises around these retreats get a little more complicated. — Ashley Lynch, Sacbee.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Wellness travelers tend to spend more per trip than the average tourist, and gut-health retreats can come with some eye-popping price tags. — Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Oct. 2026

From mountain retreats to waterfront havens, these beautiful spots are a balm for your physical and mental health. — Claudia Fisher, Travel + Leisure, 25 Sep. 2026

Verb

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

Twice a day, the tide retreats from the shoreline, sometimes for up to two miles. — Kim Foley MacKinnon, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

As his mind retreats to the hues of old movies, Charlotte breaks the fog with a glimmer of humanity. — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2026