RETREATING Synonyms: 78 Similar and Opposite Words

retreating

verb

present participle of retreat

as in withdrawing

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

as in fleeing

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of retreating But retreating indoors can come at a cost. — Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 18 June 2026 Instead of retreating, the team pushed harder. — Preston Fore, Fortune, 17 June 2026 Officials said the dog's owner attempted to use bear spray while retreating from the area but was unsuccessful. — Richard Ramos, CBS News, 28 June 2026 But then, like debris from an exploding Starship rocket, shares started to fall — retreating all the way back to around $200 by the close of the day. — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 17 June 2026 Rather than retreating into defensive shape after losing possession, teams are immediately attempting to recover the ball high up the pitch. — Clemente Lisi, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 Most teams try to avoid retreating into their own box unless they are forced to, which gives more space for Munoz to run into, while there is insufficient pressure on ball carrier Diaz, who can pick out his right-back. — Liam Tharme, New York Times, 22 June 2026 Georgia Republican leaders won’t redraw the state’s political maps during a special legislative session that starts Wednesday, retreating from a proposal that had threatened to ignite one of the state’s most explosive political fights ahead of the November election. — Greg Bluestein, AJC.com, 17 June 2026 Because of Oracle’s retreating stock price, Ellison has been surpassed on the world’s list of wealthiest people by Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Michael Dell. — Jordan Novet, CNBC, 26 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for retreating

Verb

Serena Williams is withdrawing from Wimbledon doubles competition after injuring her knee at the tournament earlier this week.

— Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 4 July 2026
In an interview with The Sacramento Bee Wednesday, the labor leader behind Proposition 40 accused Newsom of failing to propose any alternative ahead of the June 25 deadline for withdrawing ballot measures.

— Ben Paviour July 2, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2026

Definition of withdrawing

Verb

Two Latinos are running in this year’s election to replace Councilmember Curren Price, who is Black and retiring after serving the maximum three terms.

— Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
Assistant County Administrator Bridgette Cobbins, who has worked for the Unified Government for three decades, is also retiring.

— Sofi Zeman July 2, Kansas City Star, 3 July 2026

Definition of retiring

Verb

Taylor loves her Easter eggs, and there are rumors flying that Madison Square Garden is simply a bold ploy to redirect fans’ (and the media’s) attention away from where her true nuptials will be.

— Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 1 July 2026
So, at this point, the town of Calistoga doesn't seem willing to take a chance that flying cars will be showing up any time soon.

— John Ramos, CBS News, 30 June 2026

Definition of flying

Verb

Legacy giants are bolting AI features onto old platforms to justify seat prices.

— Mala Ramakrishnan, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Ujiri engineered the trade in 2018 that brought Leonard to the Raptors without the player agreeing to an extension, and the result was a championship followed by Leonard bolting to the Clippers.

— Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026

Definition of bolting

Verb

The combination remained effective because escaping both antibodies required multiple simultaneous mutations rather than a single genetic change.

— William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Workers were able to prevent more than 1,000 other monkeys at the facility from escaping.

— Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026

Definition of escaping

Verb

The invite-only event was being hosted by Satisfy, the French running brand with a punk rock aesthetic.

— Grace Cook, Vogue, 7 July 2026
Hamilton’s hot fundraising start came after building anticipation for a campaign launch with a statewide listening tour where the founding pastor of the nation’s largest United Methodist church openly entertained running as an independent.

— Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 6 July 2026