retreat

/ri'tri:t/

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Word: Retreat

Part of Speech: Noun and Verb

Definitions:

1. Noun:

   • The act of withdrawing or going backward, especially to escape something dangerous or unpleasant.
   • A time or place for prayer, study, and meditation (often called a "religious retreat").
   • A vacation activity where someone goes to a quiet place for relaxation and solitude.
   • In military terms, it refers to the withdrawal of troops from a dangerous position or the signal to do so (like a bugle call at sunset).
   • A place that offers privacy and peace.

2. Verb:

   • To move back or withdraw from a commitment, activity, or dangerous situation.
   • To pull away or move back, like a glacier that is retreating.

Usage Instructions:

• Use "retreat" as a noun when talking about a specific event or location, like "We went on a retreat to the mountains."
• Use "retreat" as a verb when discussing the action of moving back or withdrawing, like "The soldiers retreated from the battlefield."

Examples:

• Noun: "After a stressful month, I decided to go on a weekend retreat to relax."
• Verb: "When the storm approached, the campers had to retreat to their tents."

Advanced Usage:

• In a more figurative sense, "retreat" can describe someone stepping back from a decision or position, like in negotiations or discussions. For example, "The company had to retreat from its earlier offer due to financial concerns."

Word Variants:

• Retreating (verb): The act of moving back or withdrawing. Example: "The army is retreating from the enemy."
• Retreats (noun): Plural of retreat. Example: "We attended several retreats last year."
• Retreating (adjective): Describing something that is moving back. Example: "The retreating army left behind supplies."

Different Meanings:

• In military contexts, "retreat" can mean a strategic withdrawal to avoid losing more resources or lives.
• In a personal context, it can mean taking time for self-care or reflection away from daily stresses.

Synonyms:

• Withdraw
• Pull back
• Retreat (as a military term)
• Recede
• Escape (in the context of avoiding danger)

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs:

• "Pull back": To retreat or withdraw. Example: "The company decided to pull back from the merger talks."
• "Crawfish out": To back out of a commitment or decision, often used informally. Example: "He crawfished out of his promise to help me move."

Conclusion:

"Retreat" is a versatile word that can apply to personal, military, and spiritual contexts.

Academic

Noun

1. the act of withdrawing or going backward (especially to escape something hazardous or unpleasant)
2. withdrawal for prayer and study and meditation
   • the religious retreat is a form of vacation activity
3. an area where you can be alone
4. (military) a bugle call signaling the lowering of the flag at sunset
5. (military) a signal to begin a withdrawal from a dangerous position
6. a place of privacy; a place affording peace and quiet
7. (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

Verb

1. 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
2. move back
   • The glacier retrogrades
3. move away, as for privacy
   • The Pope retreats to Castelgondolfo every summer
4. pull back or move away or backward
   • The enemy withdrew
   • The limo pulled away from the curb

Synonyms

• retirement
• hideaway
• pull back
• back out
• back away
• crawfish
• crawfish out
• pull in one's horns
• withdraw
• retrograde
• pull away
• draw back
• recede
• retire
• move back