Definition of 'retreat'
Noun
- (military) withdrawal of troops to a more favorable position to escape the enemy's superior forces or after a defeat; "the disorderly retreat of French troops"
- a place of privacy; a place affording peace and quiet
- (military) a signal to begin a withdrawal from a dangerous position
- (military) a bugle call signaling the lowering of the flag at sunset
- an area where you can be alone
Synonyms: hideaway - withdrawal for prayer and study and meditation; "the religious retreat is a form of vacation activity"
Synonyms: retirement
Verb
- pull back or move away or backward; "The enemy withdrew"; "The limo pulled away from the curb"
Synonyms: withdraw pull away draw back recede pull back retire move back - move away, as for privacy; "The Pope retreats to Castelgondolfo every summer"
- move back; "The glacier retrogrades"
Synonyms: retrograde - make a retreat from an earlier commitment or activity; "We'll have to crawfish out from meeting with him"; "He backed out of his earlier promise"; "The aggressive investment company pulled in its horns"
Synonyms: pull back back out back away crawfish crawfish out pull in one's horns withdraw
