RETREATED Synonyms: 84 Similar and Opposite Words

retreated

verb

past tense of retreat

as in withdrew

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in fled

to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening the untried soldiers retreated in humiliating disarray almost as soon as the enemy's onslaught began

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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 retreated Since her stage days, Cassie has retreated out of the spotlight. — Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 27 July 2026 Trump, too, recently talked about — and then retreated from — plans to charge tolls for safe passage. — Ron Kampeas, The Washington Examiner, 25 July 2026 A Little Rock police officer retreated into the street before killing the Labrador retriever that ran at him barking in the Heights neighborhood on Sunday, body camera footage released Wednesday shows. — Grant Lancaster, Arkansas Online, 22 July 2026 Kelly, typically a non-demonstrative engineer, retreated to the airplane bathroom and sobbed. — Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026 But instead of pulling back, Elmi says, the founders reinvested their own capital, applied it to operating as an essential business, and secured favorable lease terms and available talent while competitors retreated. — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 20 July 2026 All three officers immediately backed away from Morgan, while Kephart retreated next to his patrol car. — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 19 July 2026 Few of those concerns were in the air as the halftime performers retreated from the field, the tarp was rolled back, and the sprinkler system was activated to prepare the field for the final moments of the World Cup. — Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 19 July 2026 Fans will say little has changed, because once again (see the 2018 semifinal defeat against Croatia and the 2021 Euros final loss against Italy) England took the lead and then retreated. — David Hickey, NBC news, 16 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for retreated

Verb

In April of this year, global energy company AES withdrew plans to build a large battery storage facility in Eden Valley after residents loudly opposed the project, due to potential fire risk.

— Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 July 2026
The United States formally withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, in May 2018, several months after Tahbaz’s arrest.

— Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 28 July 2026

Definition of withdrew

Verb

The call was made by a bank employee after Dyer had already fled the scene, but officers were able to find him quickly, police said.

— Mary Ella Hastings July 24, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 July 2026
In France, some people even fled by boat when flames swept through touristic towns on the Atlantic coast.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 July 2026

Definition of fled

Verb

The fix gets dismissed as a database bolted onto a chatbot, when continual learning is a fundamentally unsolved machine learning problem.

— Alexander Kardos-Nyheim, Fortune, 25 July 2026
But those same investments coincided with site performance drops, almost certainly because accessibility overlays and third-party add-ons were bolted onto existing infrastructure rather than built into it.

— Brian Chidester, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

Definition of bolted

Verb

For five years running, Americans have had to live with wallet-fleecing, budget-busting, paycheck-eating inflation – including a painful stretch where the pace of price hikes hit a 40-year high.

— Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 25 July 2026
The agency has also sent staff to Anson County to help run the elections office while the county searches for new leadership.

— Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 25 July 2026

Definition of ran

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retreat

retreated

retreated (from)

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“Retreated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retreated. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of retreated

verb

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