1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
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Recent Examples of retreated
One deputy retreated while two of them fired their guns, hitting Williams and Lane, authorities said.
—
Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
Each apartment was different from the next, and the vacant unit (one daughter retreated to a Greek island) had views of the sea.
—Keith Flanagan, Architectural Digest, 11 Sep. 2025
Yet, in the 1980s, federal and state governments retreated from viewing higher education as a public good.
—Leadership Brainery, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
The software company gained 250% on its first day of trading, but has since retreated from its highs.
—Michelle Fox, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2025
Then, human agriculture changed everything—and left the land vulnerable to fire when people retreated to cities.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 9 Sep. 2025
Others had retreated to more remote, wild areas of North America.
—Tom Langen, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2025
Now Crane has retreated from the issue.
—Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 9 Sep. 2025
The Sweets, his brothers Otis and Henry and seven friends retreated to the second floor.
—Neal Rubin, Freep.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
Each apartment was different from the next, and the vacant unit (one daughter retreated to a Greek island) had views of the sea.
—Keith Flanagan, Architectural Digest, 11 Sep. 2025
Yet, in the 1980s, federal and state governments retreated from viewing higher education as a public good.
—Leadership Brainery, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
The software company gained 250% on its first day of trading, but has since retreated from its highs.
—Michelle Fox, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2025
Then, human agriculture changed everything—and left the land vulnerable to fire when people retreated to cities.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 9 Sep. 2025
Others had retreated to more remote, wild areas of North America.
—Tom Langen, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2025
Now Crane has retreated from the issue.
—Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 9 Sep. 2025
The Sweets, his brothers Otis and Henry and seven friends retreated to the second floor.
—Neal Rubin, Freep.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retreated
Verb
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The shake-up came a week after the Ultra-Orthodox parties United Torah Judaism and Shas withdrew from the coalition in protest over the failure to pass legislation exempting Haredi men from military service.—
Amelie Botbol,
FOXNews.com,
14 Sep. 2025
-
The Times/Siena poll suggested that if both Adams and Sliwa withdrew, Mamdani’s advantage over Cuomo could shrink even further.—
Philip Marcelo,
Fortune,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The mufti fled Mandatory Palestine but continued to orchestrate terrorism from his initial base of operations in Beirut.—
Sean Durns,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Jurors at the trial in Fort Pierce, Florida, heard from the Secret Service agent who confronted an armed Routh on the golf course before Routh fled, and a witness who identified Routh to police.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Many car parts are glued together rather than riveted, screwed, or bolted, and the robots and spray guns that apply those bonding agents need to be cleaned.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Foster’s hurried firing on Sunday morning comes after his hurried hiring in February 2024, his placement a band-aid one week after Chip Kelly bolted to be offensive coordinator at Ohio State.—
Mirjam Swanson,
Oc Register,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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On September 7, dog owner Brittany U'Wren was devastated to learn that her rescue Shitzu mix, named Lexi, had escaped through the garage and disappeared from her home in Lexington, Kentucky.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
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The 1850 version mandated that the federal government actively help slave catchers track and apprehend people who’d escaped slavery.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The video, released Thursday night, showed a person running across a rooftop of the building from which the fatal round was fired before climbing down and dropping to the ground.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
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Pittman noted the Rebels didn’t run their offense at their standard lightning pace for much of the game and did a lot of looks to the sidelines for late play adjustments.—
Tom Murphy,
Arkansas Online,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Retreated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retreated. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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