re-treat

[ree-treet] /riˈtrit/
verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
1.
to treat again.
Origin
1880-85; re- + treat
Can be confused
re-treat, retreat.

retreat

[ri-treet] /rɪˈtrit/
noun
1.
the forced or strategic withdrawal of an army or an armed force before an enemy, or the withdrawing of a naval force from action.
2.
the act of withdrawing, as into safety or privacy; retirement; seclusion.
3.
a place of refuge, seclusion, or privacy:
The library was his retreat.
4.
an asylum, as for the insane.
5.
a retirement or a period of retirement for religious exercises and meditation.
6.
Military.
  1. a flag-lowering ceremony held at sunset on a military post.
  2. the bugle call or drumbeat played at this ceremony.
7.
the recession of a surface, as a wall or panel, from another surface beside it.
verb (used without object)
8.
to withdraw, retire, or draw back, especially for shelter or seclusion.
9.
to make a retreat:
The army retreated.
10.
to slope backward; recede:
a retreating chin.
11.
to draw or lead back.
Idioms
12.
beat a retreat, to withdraw or retreat, especially hurriedly or in disgrace.
Origin
1300-50; (noun) Middle English retret < Old French, variant of retrait, noun use of past participle of retraire to draw back < Latin retrahere (re- re- + trahere to draw; see retract1); (v.) late Middle English retreten < Middle French retraitier < Latin retractāre to retract2
Related forms
retreatal, adjective
retreater, noun
retreative, adjective
Can be confused
re-treat, retreat.
Synonyms
2. departure, withdrawal. 3. shelter. 8. leave, pull back. See depart.
Antonyms
1, 8, 9. advance.
Examples from the web for retreat
  • Geologists had predicted the plunge for weeks, citing the retreat of an underlying glacier that had held the rock in place.
  • The dollar staged a broad retreat in sluggish year-end trading yesterday.
  • It's a good idea for the board chair to participate in the retreat.
  • Contrary to popular opinion, not all cold-loving animals can simply retreat north in the face of global warming.
  • Transform your garden space into a retreat with the soft sound of water.
  • Find an amazing beach retreat with this list of the top destinations for environmentally conscious travelers.
  • They display a fascinating rhythm of advance and retreat.
  • For slime molds, the best defense against the elements and their enemies is a retreat.
  • Looking backward is not to retreat into the past but to prepare for the future.
  • Even today behind almost every camel stable and desert retreat is an aviary of saker falcons.
British Dictionary definitions for retreat

retreat

/rɪˈtriːt/
verb (mainly intransitive)
1.
(military) to withdraw or retire in the face of or from action with an enemy, either due to defeat or in order to adopt a more favourable position
2.
to retire or withdraw, as to seclusion or shelter
3.
(of a person's features) to slope back; recede
4.
(transitive) (chess) to move (a piece) back
noun
5.
the act of retreating or withdrawing
6.
(military)
  1. a withdrawal or retirement in the face of the enemy
  2. a bugle call signifying withdrawal or retirement, esp (formerly) to within a defended fortification
7.
retirement or seclusion
8.
a place, such as a sanatorium or monastery, to which one may retire for refuge, quiet, etc
9.
a period of seclusion, esp for religious contemplation
10.
an institution, esp a private one, for the care and treatment of people who are mentally ill, infirm, elderly, etc
Word Origin
C14: from Old French retret, from retraire to withdraw, from Latin retrahere to pull back; see retract
Word Origin and History for retreat
n.

c.1300, "a step backward;" late 14c., "act of retiring or withdrawing; military signal for retiring from action or exercise," from Old French retret, noun use of past participle of retrere "draw back," from Latin retrahere "draw back, withdraw, call back," from re- "back" (see re-) + trahere "to draw" (see tract (n.1)). Meaning "place of seclusion" is from early 15c.; sense of "establishment for mentally ill persons" is from 1797. Meaning "period of retirement for religious self-examination" is from 1756.

v.

early 15c., "to draw in, draw back, leave the extremities," from retreat (n.) and in part from Old French retret, past participle of retrere. Meaning "to fall back from battle" is mid-15c. Related: Retreated; retreating.

Idioms and Phrases with retreat

retreat

see: beat a retreat