duty to retreat

noun

law

: a duty to use reasonable efforts to escape or retreat from an attacker before using force to defend oneself

When threatened by an aggressor outside their homes, people in New York, under current law, have a duty to retreat—if possible—before resorting to force.

—Joe Mahoney

[Samuel L.] Davis filed a motion Monday asking a judge to prohibit the commonwealth from arguing Fisher had a duty to retreat. Davis contends Fisher was acting in self-defense, and he expects prosecutors may argue that Fisher's use of force was unreasonable and unlawful because he did not first attempt to retreat.

—Susy Kelly

Examples of duty to retreat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The castle doctrine permits a person who is in his or her home to defend it and themselves from harm without any duty to retreat to safety. —Cedric Dark, WIRED, 14 Sep. 2024

Vermont and Washington, DC, remain the only two jurisdictions where a duty to retreat remains supreme. —Cedric Dark, WIRED, 14 Sep. 2024

But a duty to retreat when in public exists in many states. —Cedric Dark, WIRED, 14 Sep. 2024

In her order earlier this week, Judge Pooler noted that Martinez had no duty to retreat and was permitted to meet force with force. —Charles Rabin, Miami Herald, 23 May 2024

The doctrine still maintains a duty to retreat. 2007: No permits required The state does away with its permit-to-purchase handgun law in 2007, which was established in 1921. —Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 16 Feb. 2024

Missouri is one of at least 28 states with no duty to retreat. —USA TODAY, 1 Sep. 2023

In Maryland, that means that a guard faced with a threat has a duty to retreat before using force against another person. —Alex Mann, Baltimore Sun, 31 Aug. 2023

Banks said the shooter neglected multiple opportunities to run away, thus failing his legal duty to retreat before firing. —Alex Mann, Baltimore Sun, 24 July 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1878, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for duty to retreat

• amit
• athlete
• backseat
• blackfeet
• broadsheet
• browbeat
• buckwheat
• compete
• compleat
• complete
• conceit
• concrete