RETRIEVING Synonyms: 18 Similar and Opposite Words

retrieving

verb

Definition of retrieving next

present participle of retrieve

as in regaining

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

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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 retrieving The China National Space Administration, in contrast, has spent the past few years landing rovers on the far side of the moon and retrieving moon rocks for study. —

David W. Brown, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026 Failing to establish and maintain effective methods to identify and evaluate hazards related to retrieving, transporting, storing, and handling explosive ordnance, including grenades. —

Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026 This not only restricts the robot’s movement but can also make retrieving the device from the pool a frustrating task. —

Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 27 Mar. 2026 Officials then reviewed surveillance footage, which Authier said captured Catron dropping a thumb drive out of his pocket while retrieving his car keys. —

Tanya Babbar, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Mar. 2026 CancelConfirm Share Include playlist An error occurred while retrieving sharing information. —

Hannah Parker, NBC news, 22 Mar. 2026 Following Jesus’ death on the cross – the day that Christians around the world mark as Good Friday – the text describes two men, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, retrieving his body. —

Mary Foskett, The Conversation, 20 Mar. 2026 Engineer Edward Rincon, who had been on Engine 23 retrieving hoses the day before, pulled up to the same cul-de-sac. —

Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026 Safely retrieving these uranium canisters—which likely take the form of dozens of 25- to 50-pound containers filled with uranium hexafluoride gas under pressure—would be highly challenging under wartime conditions. —

Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 11 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for retrieving

Verb

And history suggests that returning is one thing, but recapturing the same intensity of viewership and fandom is another.

— Precious Fondren, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
More than a century later the Yaʿrubid dynasty drove the Portuguese from the Omani coast, recapturing Muscat in 1650 and then occupying Portuguese settlements in the Persian Gulf and East African coastal regions.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026