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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of retreated
Gerson believes the gangs have retreated.
—
Johnny Fils-Aimé, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2025
Runner-up Sabalenka, meanwhile, retreated to another area, smashed her racket until the frame buckled and sat with her back against the wall, next to the scratch marks left on the floor.
—Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
The Sweets, his brothers Otis and Henry and seven friends retreated to the second floor.
—Neal Rubin, Freep.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Eventually, Mary retreated to her family’s ancestral house in Kerala, presided over by an almost blind grandmother, a censorious great-aunt, and a Rhodes Scholar uncle who held forth at dinner about Dionysus.
—Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2025
Now corporate America has retreated from DEI and slashed thousands of jobs.
—September 2, NPR, 2 Sep. 2025
But this transnational polity of 150,000 members across five continents has remained stable even as democracy has retreated elsewhere around the globe.
—Tenzin Dorjee, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2025
Many potential buyers have retreated to the sidelines of the markets due to sky-high home prices, historically elevated mortgage rates (still hovering around the 7 percent mark), and other rising housing costs like home insurance premiums, property taxes, and homeowner association (HOA) fees.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
Gibby descended into a nearly fatal spiral of drugs and public outrage, while Paul and King retreated to Austin.
—Pat Blashill, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2025
Johnny Fils-Aimé, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2025
Runner-up Sabalenka, meanwhile, retreated to another area, smashed her racket until the frame buckled and sat with her back against the wall, next to the scratch marks left on the floor.
—Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
The Sweets, his brothers Otis and Henry and seven friends retreated to the second floor.
—Neal Rubin, Freep.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Eventually, Mary retreated to her family’s ancestral house in Kerala, presided over by an almost blind grandmother, a censorious great-aunt, and a Rhodes Scholar uncle who held forth at dinner about Dionysus.
—Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2025
Now corporate America has retreated from DEI and slashed thousands of jobs.
—September 2, NPR, 2 Sep. 2025
But this transnational polity of 150,000 members across five continents has remained stable even as democracy has retreated elsewhere around the globe.
—Tenzin Dorjee, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2025
Many potential buyers have retreated to the sidelines of the markets due to sky-high home prices, historically elevated mortgage rates (still hovering around the 7 percent mark), and other rising housing costs like home insurance premiums, property taxes, and homeowner association (HOA) fees.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
Gibby descended into a nearly fatal spiral of drugs and public outrage, while Paul and King retreated to Austin.
—Pat Blashill, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retreated
Verb
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Just a day before Amtrak unveiled its new Acela trains, his department withdrew another $175 million earmarked for California rail projects.—
Ben Jones,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
-
In January 2023, Imavov was booked to face Kelvin Gastelum, but that fight fell apart when Gastelum withdrew.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
6 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
-
Also, treat operational maintenance as a growth lever, not as tech debt, because speed is achieved when reliability is baked into the process, not bolted on.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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Many of the plants have bolted or gone to seed or withered in the heat.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Having escaped disaster and gauged the full extent of American self-deterrence, Putin began putting pressure on Ukraine’s neighbors and suppliers.—
Robert Kagan,
The Atlantic,
10 Sep. 2025
-
One snake got tear-gassed by police, then shot at five times, and still escaped—only to finally meet its match with a garden hoe (obviously).—
Popular Science Team,
Popular Science,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
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 14 Sep. 2025.
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