Definitions for retreat
rɪˈtritre·treat

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:4.5 / 6 votes

1. retreatnoun

   (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"

2. retreatnoun

   a place of privacy; a place affording peace and quiet

3. retreatnoun

   (military) a signal to begin a withdrawal from a dangerous position

4. retreatnoun

   (military) a bugle call signaling the lowering of the flag at sunset

5. hideaway, retreatnoun

   an area where you can be alone

6. retirement, retreatnoun

   withdrawal for prayer and study and meditation

   "the religious retreat is a form of vacation activity"

7. retreatverb

   the act of withdrawing or going backward (especially to escape something hazardous or unpleasant)

8. withdraw, retreat, pull away, draw back, recede, pull back, retire, move backverb

   pull back or move away or backward

   "The enemy withdrew"; "The limo pulled away from the curb"

9. retreatverb

   move away, as for privacy

   "The Pope retreats to Castelgondolfo every summer"

10. retrograde, retreatverb

    move back

    "The glacier retrogrades"

11. retreat, pull back, back out, back away, crawfish, crawfish out, pull in one's horns, withdrawverb

    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"

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. retreatnoun

   The act of pulling back or withdrawing, as from something dangerous, or unpleasant.

2. retreatnoun

   The act of reversing direction and receding from a forward position.

3. retreatnoun

   A peaceful, quiet place affording privacy, or security.

4. retreatnoun

   A period of retirement, seclusion, or solitude.

5. retreatnoun

   A period of meditation, prayer or study

6. retreatnoun

   Withdrawal by military force from a dangerous position or from enemy attack.

7. retreatnoun

   A signal for a military withdrawal.

8. retreatnoun

   A bugle call or drumbeat signaling the lowering of the flag at sunset, as on a military base.

9. retreatnoun

   A military ceremony to lower the flag.

10. retreatverb

    To withdraw military forces.

11. retreatnoun

    Move (a piece) from threatetned position.

12. Etymology: From Middle English retret, from Old French retrait or retret (to draw back), from Latin retrahere (retract).

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Retreatnoun

   Etymology: retraitte, Fr.

   1. Place of privacy; retirement.

   He built his son a house of pleasure, and spared no cost to make a delicious retreat. Roger L'Estrange.

   2. Place of security.

   This place our dungeon, not our safe retreat,
   Beyond his potent arm. John Milton.

   That pleasing shade they sought, a soft retreat
   From sudden April showers, a shelter from the heat. Dry.

   There is no such way to give defence to absurd doctrines, as to guard them round with legions of obscure and undefined words; which yet make these retreats more like the dens of robbers, than the fortresses of fair warriors. John Locke.

   3. Act of retiring before a superiour force.

   Honourable retreats are no ways inferior to brave charges; as having less of fortune, more of discipline, and as much of valour. Francis Bacon.

2. To Retreatverb

   Etymology: from the noun.

   1. To go to a private abode.

   Others more mild
   Retreated in a silent valley, sing
   Their own heroick deeds. John Milton.

   2. To take shelter; to go to a place of security.3. To retire from a superiour enemy.4. To go out of the former place.

   The rapid currents drive
   Towards the retreating sea their furious tide. John Milton.

   My subject does not oblige me to look after the water, or point forth the place whereunto it is now retreated. John Woodward.

   Having taken her by the hand, he retreated with his eye fixed upon her. Scriblerus Club .

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. retreat

   Retreat refers to an act of moving back or withdrawing from something. It can also refer to a quiet or secluded place where one can rest and relax, or a period of seclusion for prayer, meditation, self-discovery or similar activities. In military context, retreat means withdrawal of troops from enemy forces due to their superior power or after a defeat.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Retreatnoun

   the act of retiring or withdrawing one's self, especially from what is dangerous or disagreeable

2. Retreatnoun

   the place to which anyone retires; a place or privacy or safety; a refuge; an asylum

3. Retreatnoun

   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

4. Retreatnoun

   the withdrawing of a ship or fleet from an enemy for the purpose of avoiding an engagement or escaping after defeat

5. Retreatnoun

   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

6. Retreatnoun

   a special season of solitude and silence to engage in religious exercises

7. Retreatnoun

   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

8. Retreatverb

   to make a retreat; to retire from any position or place; to withdraw; as, the defeated army retreated from the field

WikidataRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. Retreat

   The meaning of a spiritual retreat can be different for different religious communities. Spiritual Retreats are an integral part of many Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and Sufi communities. In Hinduism and Buddhism, Meditative Retreats are seen by some as integral for reconnection to one's self. Retreats are also popular in Christian churches, and were established in today's form by St. Ignatius of Loyola, in his Spiritual Exercises. Ignatius was later to be made patron saint of spiritual retreats by Pope Pius XI in 1922. Many Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox Christians partake in and organize spiritual retreats each year. Meditative retreats are an important practice in Sufism, the mystical path of Islam. The Sufi teacher Ibn Arabi's book Journey to the Lord of Power is a guide to the inner journey that was published over 700 years ago.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:2.0 / 1 vote

1. Retreat

   rē-trēt′, n. a drawing back or retracing one's steps: retirement: place of privacy: withdrawal: a place of security: a shelter: (mil.) the act of retiring in order from before the enemy, or from an advanced position: the signal for retiring from an engagement or to quarters: a special season of religious meditation.—v.i. to draw back: to recede: to consider: to retire, esp. to a place of shelter: to retire before an enemy or from an advanced position: in fencing, to move back so as to avoid the point of the adversary's sword: to slope back, as a retreating forehead.—ns. Retreat′er; Retreat′ment. [O. Fr. retrete—L. retractus, pa.p. of retrahĕre.]

Dictionary of Nautical TermsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. retreat

   The order in which a fleet or squadron declines engagement. Or the retrograde movement of any body of men who retire from a hostile force. Also, that beat of drum about sunset which orders the guards and piquets to take up their night duties.

Military Dictionary and GazetteerRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. retreat

   The retrograde movement of any army or body of men who retire from the enemy. It signifies a more prolonged and systematic movement to the rear than retire. Full retreat is when an army retires with all expedition before a conquering enemy. The retreat is also a beat of the infantry drums, or sounding of the bugles or trumpets, which takes place every day at sunset, and at which troops fall in and the roll is called; the details for duty the following day, and orders, are published. To retreat is to make a retrograde movement. An army or body of men are said to retreat when they turn their backs upon the enemy, or are retiring from the ground they occupied; hence, every march in withdrawing from an enemy is called a retreat.

Matched Categories

1. • Area
   • Bugle Call
   • Military
   • Move
   • Recede
   • Signal
   • Withdrawal

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'retreat' in Nouns Frequency: #2883

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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Anagrams for retreat »

1. treater

2. tree rat

3. ettarre

How to pronounce retreat?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say retreat in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of retreat in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of retreat in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of retreat in a Sentence

1. Charles R. Swindoll:

   Stand still... and refuse to retreat. Look at it as God looks at it and draw upon His power to hold up under the blast.

2. Founder Terry Schilling:

   There are over 130 million families in America. I don't need all 130, I need a million, and if we get a million families involved and get them loud and active in the process, we will change things and change things fast, and they will start to retreat.

3. Thomas a Kempis, quoted in the LDS Church News 8/20/2005:

   Watch for good times to retreat into yourself. Frequently meditate on how good God is to you.

4. Wayne LaPierre:

   No victim of crime should be required to surrender his life, health, safety, personal dignity, or property to a criminal, nor should a victim be required to retreat in the face of an attack.

5. Rick Scott:

   Vice President Pence said in Fort Myers. The president monitored Irma over this past weekend from Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland. Nearly half of Florida was engulfed by Irma, which left flooded streets, damaged homes and displaced residents in its wake. Florida's southwestern coast is a haven for retirees seeking warm weather and beautiful sunsets across the Gulf of Mexico. Many communities are still cleaning up or without power or air conditioning. In Lee County, which includes Cape Coral and Fort Myers, the Florida Emergency Management Agency said 66 percent of the area's 290,000 electrical customers were still without power Wednesday. Widespread outages led to long lines outside of the relatively few stores, gas stations and restaurants that had reopened. The situation was even worse to the south in Collier County, home to Naples. Days after Irma passed, almost 80 percent of homes and businesses were still without electricity, and floodwaters still covered some communities entirely. As of Thursday morning, the number of homes and businesses without electricity in Florida was 2.69 million, according to the agency. That's 25.6 percent of all customers in the state. We are working hard to get power back on. Our utilities have restored over 4-million homes already.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=retreat
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Retreat
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=retreat
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retreat
6. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=retreat
7. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=retreat
8. ^ Dictionary of Nautical Terms
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/26000/pg26000-images.html#:~:text=retreat
9. ^ Military Dictionary and Gazetteer
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/59563/pg59563-images.html
10. ^ Usage in printed sources
    https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=retreat