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1retreat noun 1 : an act of withdrawing esp. from something dangerous, difficult, or disagreeable

2 : a military signal for withdrawal; also : a military flag-lowering ceremony

3 : a place of privacy or safety : REFUGE

4 : a period of group withdrawal for prayer, meditation, or study

Synonyms

[1] revulsion, withdrawal; also flinch, recoil, shrinking

Antonyms

advancement

[3] asylum, harbor, haven, refuge, sanctuary, shelter—more at SHELTER

2retreat verb 1 : to make a retreat

2 : to slope backward

Synonyms

back, fall back, recede, retire, withdraw; also flinch, recoil, shrink; chicken (out); back down, backtrack; abandon, depart, evacuate, go, leave, quit, vacate

Antonyms

advance

re·trench verb [ORIGIN: obs. F retrencher (now retrancher), fr. MF retrenchier, fr. re- + trenchier to cut]

1 : to cut down or pare away : REDUCE, CURTAIL

2 : to cut down expenses : ECONOMIZE

— re·trench·ment noun

ret·ri·bu·tion noun : something administered or exacted in recompense; especially : PUNISHMENT

— re·trib·u·tive adjective

— re·trib·u·to·ry adjective

Synonyms

punishment, reprisal, requital, retaliation, revenge, vengeance—more at REVENGE

re·triev·al noun : an act or process of retrieving

Synonyms

reclamation, recovery, repossession—more at RECOVERY

re·trieve verb re·trieved; re·triev·ing 1 : to search about for and bring in (killed or wounded game)

2 : to get back again : RECOVER

— re·triev·able adjective

Synonyms

recapture, reclaim, recoup, recover, regain, repossess, retake—more at RECOVER

re·triev·er noun : one that retrieves; especially : a dog of any of several breeds used esp. for retrieving game

ret·ro adjective : relating to or being the styles and fashions of the past <~ clothing>

ret·ro·ac·tive adjective : made effective as of a date prior to enactment

— ret·ro·ac·tive·ly adverb

ret·ro·fit verb : to furnish (as an aircraft) with newly available equipment

— ret·ro·fit noun

1retrograde adjective 1 : moving or tending backward

2 : tending toward or resulting in a worse condition

2retrograde verb 1 : RETREAT

2 : DETERIORATE, DEGENERATE

ret·ro·gres·sion noun : return to a former and less complex level of development or organization

— ret·ro·gress verb

— ret·ro·gres·sive adjective

ret·ro–rock·et noun : an auxiliary rocket engine (as on a spacecraft) used to slow forward motion

ret·ro·spect noun : a review of past events

ret·ro·spec·tion noun : the act or process or an instance of surveying the past

Synonyms

reappraisal, reexamination, review—more at REVIEW

ret·ro·spec·tive noun 1 : a comprehensive examination of an artist's work over many years

2 : REVIEW 4

— retrospective adjective

— ret·ro·spec·tive·ly adverb

ret·ro·vi·rus noun : any of a group of RNA-containing viruses (as HIV) that make DNA using RNA instead of the reverse

1return verb 1 : to go or come back

2 : to pass, give, or send back to an earlier possessor

3 : to put back to or in a former place or state

4 : to respond in words or writing : REPLY, ANSWER

5 : to report esp. officially

6 : to elect to office

7 : to bring in (as profit) : YIELD

8 : to give or perform in return

— re·turn·er noun

2return noun 1 : an act of coming or going back to or from a former place or state

2 : RECURRENCE

3 : a report of the results of balloting

4 : a formal statement of taxable income

5 : the profit from labor, investment, or business

6 : the act of returning something

7 : something that returns or is returned; also : a means for conveying something (as water) back to its starting point

8 a : something given in repayment or reciprocation

b : something said, written, or done in answer or response : ANSWER, RETORT

9 : an answering play

— return adjective

Synonyms

earnings, gain, income, net, payoff, proceeds, profit, revenue, yield—more at INCOME

1returnable adjective : capable of being returned (as for reuse or recycling); also : permitted to be returned

2returnable noun : a returnable