## Meanings
1. The act of moving back or away from something dangerous or difficult.
2. A quiet, private place where you can rest and relax.
3. A period of quiet time away for rest, study, or prayer.
4. To move back or away from danger or difficulty.

## Examples
- The army's retreat allowed the enemy to take the city.
- They spend the summer at their mountain retreat.
- The whole team went on a weekend retreat to plan the year ahead.
- The soldiers were forced to retreat under heavy fire.

## Synonyms
- balk
- crawfish
- decline
- recede
- regrade
- retire
- retrograde
- revert
- shrink
- withdraw

## Antonyms
- advance
- charge
- deadlock
- draw
- engage
- fight
- lunge
- storm
- tie

## Derived Forms
- counterretreat
- reretreat
- retreatal
- retreatant
- retreatful
- retreatingness
- retreatism
- retreatist
- retreatlike
- unretreating

## Related Forms
- retract

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: retret
- Root: retrait
- Root: retractus

## Etymology
From Middle English retret, from Old French retrait or retret, from Latin retractus, from retraho. Doublet of retract, retrait, and ritratto.

## AI Etymology
Retreat comes from Middle English retret, from Old French retrait or retret, from Latin retractus, from retraho. Doublet of retract, retrait, and ritratto. Modern senses include the act of moving back or away from something dangerous or difficult. and a quiet, private place where you can rest and relax.. The wider word family includes derivatives such as counterretreat, reretreat, retreatal, retreatant, retreatful, and retreatingness and related forms such as retract.

## Topics
- Verbs of Movement

markdown

retreat

Meanings

Thesaurus

Common collocations

Etymology

Topics

External links

Keyboard Shortcuts

General

Send feedback