retreat
(noun) the act of withdrawing or going backward (especially to escape something hazardous or unpleasant)
retirement, retreat
(noun) withdrawal for prayer and study and meditation; “the religious retreat is a form of vacation activity”
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”
hideaway, retreat
(noun) an area where you can be alone
retreat
(noun) (military) a bugle call signaling the lowering of the flag at sunset
retreat
(noun) (military) a signal to begin a withdrawal from a dangerous position
retreat
(noun) a place of privacy; a place affording peace and quiet
retreat, pull back, back out, back away, crawfish, crawfish out, pull in one's horns, withdraw
(verb) 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”
withdraw, retreat, pull away, draw back, recede, pull back, retire, move back
(verb) pull back or move away or backward; “The enemy withdrew”; “The limo pulled away from the curb”
retrograde, retreat
(verb) move back; “The glacier retrogrades”
retreat
(verb) move away, as for privacy; “The Pope retreats to Castelgondolfo every summer”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
retreat (plural retreats)
The act of pulling back or withdrawing, as from something dangerous, or unpleasant.
The act of reversing direction and receding from a forward position.
A peaceful, quiet place affording privacy or security.
(rare and obsolete, euphemism) A peaceful, quiet place in which to urinate and defecate: an outhouse; a lavatory.
A period of retirement, seclusion, or solitude.
A period of meditation, prayer or study.
Withdrawal by military force from a dangerous position or from enemy attack.
A signal for a military withdrawal.
A bugle call or drumbeat signaling the lowering of the flag at sunset, as on a military base.
A military ceremony to lower the flag.
(chess) The move of a piece from a threatened position.
retreat (third-person singular simple present retreats, present participle retreating, simple past and past participle retreated) (intransitive)
To withdraw from a position, go back.
(of a glacier) To shrink back due to generally warmer temperatures.
To slope back.
retreat (third-person singular simple present retreats, present participle retreating, simple past and past participle retreated)
Alternative spelling of re-treat
• treater, tree rat
Source: Wiktionary
Re*treat", n. Etym: [F. retraite, fr. retraire to withdraw, L. retrahere; pref. re- re- + trahere to draw. See Trace, and cf. Retract, Retrace.]
1. The act of retiring or withdrawing one's self, especially from what is dangerous or disagreeable. In a retreat he oShak.
2. The place to which anyone retires; a place or privacy or safety; a refuge; an asylum. He built his son a house of pleasure, and spared no cost to make a delicious retreat. L'Estrange. That pleasing shade they sought, a soft retreat From sudden April showers, a shelter from the heat. Dryden.
3. (Mil. & Naval.) (a) The retiring of an army or body of men from the face of an enemy, or from any ground occupied to a greater distance from the enemy, or from an advanced position. (b) The withdrawing of a ship or fleet from an enemy for the purpose of avoiding an engagement or escaping after defeat. (c) A signal given in the army or navy, by the beat of a drum or the sounding of trumpet or bugle, at sunset (when the roll is called), or for retiring from action.
Note: A retreat is properly an orderly march, in which circumstance it differs from a flight.
4. (Eccl.) (a) A special season of solitude and silence to engage in religious exercises. (b) A period of several days of withdrawal from society to a religious house for exclusive occupation in the duties of devotion; as, to appoint or observe a retreat.
Syn.
– Retirement; departure; withdrawment; seclusion; solitude; privacy; asylum; shelter; refuge.
Re*treat", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Retreated; p. pr. & vb. n. Retreating.]
Definition: To make a retreat; to retire from any position or place; to withdraw; as, the defeated army retreated from the field. The rapid currents drive Towards the retreating sea their furious tide. Milton.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
22 June 2025
(noun) an elongated leather strip (or a strip of similar material) for binding things together or holding something in position
According to Guinness World Records, on 25 September 2016, the Birla Institute of Management Technology (India) in Uttar Pradesh, India, constructed the largest coffee cups pyramid consisting of 23,821 cups. They used paper takeaway coffee cups to build the pyramid.
