RETRIEVE Synonyms: 18 Similar and Opposite Words

retrieve

verb

ri-ˈtrēv

Definition of retrieve

as in to regain

to get again in one's possession needed to retrieve the book from my friend so I could return it to the library

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 retrieve Someone else retrieves information from a company knowledge base. — Tiffany Chang, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026 On at least one occasion, an Alabama staffer had to go to Innisfree Irish Pub to retrieve a golf cart Kiffin had left there the night before. — John Talty, Vanity Fair, 2 Sep. 2026 The treatments include in vitro fertilization, which involves ovulation stimulation, retrieving the eggs, fertilizing them in a lab, and transferring the embryos into the uterus. — Lj Dawson, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026 The victim also reportedly retrieved a handgun and fired several times toward Jones as Jones fled the scene. — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for retrieve

Recent Examples of Synonyms for retrieve

Verb

The trustees sued to regain control; the case went all the way to the Supreme Court.

— Jacob Weisberg, The New York Review of Books, 5 Sep. 2026
The efforts of the anti-gang force, Ramdin said, are essential to regain territories, help the government reestablish public services and keep them from gang control.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of regain

Verb

As expected, the Commanders spent much of the offseason trying to recapture what worked two years ago.

— Jenny Catlin, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
As opposed to infantile regression, the oceanic feeling can also be understood as a means of recapturing a repressed sense of relation, connection, affinities.

— George Baker, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of recapture

Verb

With intermittent rain in the forecast over the next week, some sessions could be rescheduled or delayed for hours, corralling fans and shortening the time players have to recover for their next round.

— Aaron Short, Curbed, 3 Sep. 2026
The dangerous weather conditions — which included 20-knot winds and waves more than eight feet high — prohibited first responders from recovering five bodies that were also found on the vessel, officials said.

— Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of recover

Verb

If that’s the case, McNeill could finally be ready to reclaim his status as one of the league’s best young defensive tackles.

— Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Kansas has a decades-long history of not electing consecutive governors of the same party, suggesting that Masterson is well-positioned to reclaim the governor’s mansion from Democrat Laura Kelly.

— Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of reclaim

Browse Nearby Words

retrievals

retrieve

retrieved

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Retrieve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retrieve. Accessed 9 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of retrieve

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

stigma

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes