1
as in withdrawing
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
2
as in fleeing
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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Recent Examples of retreating
With a signature bright plum lip and highlight in her hair, Williams, 61, kept her people close but didn't shy away from the camera, allowing the fashion week photogs to capture her for a solid 15 minutes before retreating to one of the presentation's regal showrooms.
—
Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2025
That is because buyers have been retreating from the market due to ongoing affordability issues, including still-rising home prices, historically elevated mortgage rates, and growing economic concern linked to government policies.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
Instead of retreating, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Meta are doubling down, investing $320 billion into new data centers to entrench their lead.
—Roomy Khan, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
The answer isn’t to toggle back and forth between going all out and retreating into pastoral fantasies, but to recognize that for everything, there is a season.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2025
Silicon Valley was, of course, the initial heart of the tech sector, but AI appears to have longer limbs, reaching into cities and sectors where basic tech is now retreating.
—Diana Olick, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2025
Schools, churches, small shops that survived the devastating 2010 earthquake that killed over 300,000 are now a pile of rubble, part of the apocalyptic landscape left behind by the retreating forces that control almost all of Haiti’s capital.
—Johnny Fils-Aimé, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2025
With less accumulation and more melting, glaciers are retreating at an accelerated pace.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2025
Kelce, who played football for the Bearcats, spent plenty of time on the field during warm-ups in a red-and-white striped sweater before retreating to a suite for the game.
—Dave Skretta, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2025
That is because buyers have been retreating from the market due to ongoing affordability issues, including still-rising home prices, historically elevated mortgage rates, and growing economic concern linked to government policies.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
Instead of retreating, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Meta are doubling down, investing $320 billion into new data centers to entrench their lead.
—Roomy Khan, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
The answer isn’t to toggle back and forth between going all out and retreating into pastoral fantasies, but to recognize that for everything, there is a season.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2025
Silicon Valley was, of course, the initial heart of the tech sector, but AI appears to have longer limbs, reaching into cities and sectors where basic tech is now retreating.
—Diana Olick, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2025
Schools, churches, small shops that survived the devastating 2010 earthquake that killed over 300,000 are now a pile of rubble, part of the apocalyptic landscape left behind by the retreating forces that control almost all of Haiti’s capital.
—Johnny Fils-Aimé, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2025
With less accumulation and more melting, glaciers are retreating at an accelerated pace.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2025
Kelce, who played football for the Bearcats, spent plenty of time on the field during warm-ups in a red-and-white striped sweater before retreating to a suite for the game.
—Dave Skretta, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retreating
Verb
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The 4% rule traditionally involves withdrawing 4% of a portfolio in the first year of retirement and then adjusting the rate in subsequent years for inflation.—
Lorie Konish,
CNBC,
9 Sep. 2025
-
The reaction to this was dynamic, which for some meant withdrawing from opportunities and for others contributed to burnout and decisions to leave their jobs altogether.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Bolsonaro is under house arrest, surrounded by guards to prevent him from fleeing to a foreign embassy to request asylum.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
10 Sep. 2025
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Campuses are also a common site for hoax active shooter reports, which often causes mass panic and sends students fleeing for safety.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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HawaiianMiles joins Atmos Rewards on October 1, officially retiring the legacy program.—
Jeff Fromm,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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JetBlue is retiring the E190s for more fuel-efficient planes with modern amenities.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The final result needed to be invisible, weightless, scentless, and makeup-gripping, all of which were achieved with flying colors—actually, with no color at all since the formula is completely clear on all skin tones.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
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Before flying, check your airline’s website for more details on what’s allowed.—
Jessie Beck,
AFAR Media,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This does not mean bolting on new features to your existing products, nor hiring an AI person here or there.—
Barry Libert,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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As reports from the Ukraine war show, taking a drone and bolting a Claymore mine to it isn't new.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In that film, Redford plays Forrest Tucker, a real-life career criminal known for escaping from prison several times and for committing a string of audacious bank robberies well into his later years.—
Hannah Parry
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
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The Earth saw a strong geomagnetic storm Sunday night, NOAA reported, reaching a G3 (on a scale of 5) due to the impact of solar winds escaping from a cooler, dense region of the Sun.—
Zachary Folk,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Hochul is running for a second term as New York’s governor.—
Lauren Green,
The Washington Examiner,
16 Sep. 2025
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Traditional shoe testing depends on athletes running multiple sessions across weeks to produce a usable dataset.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Retreating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retreating. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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