# retreat

/ɹiˈtɹit/ (US) · /ɹɪtɹˈiːt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/retreat
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. to move back

verb · CEFR B1

to move away from a place because it is dangerous or because you have lost a fight.

For teachers: to withdraw from a position or territory, typically as a tactical response to pressure or defeat.

- The army had to retreat when they realized they were outnumbered.
- The commanding officer ordered the infantry to retreat to the secondary defensive line before the enemy could encircle their position.

Usage: The verb is intransitive and does not take a direct object.

### 2. to change your mind

verb · CEFR B2

to change your opinion or plan because people do not like it.

For teachers: to withdraw from a previous commitment, opinion, or policy due to opposition or difficulty.

- The government had to retreat from its plan to raise taxes after the protests.
- Faced with a sharp decline in public approval, the administration began to retreat from its controversial environmental policy.

### 3. glaciers

verb · CEFR B2 · Technical

to become smaller or move back over time, usually because of heat.

For teachers: to move back from a previous position or limit, specifically regarding the recession of glaciers due to melting.

- Scientists are worried because the mountain glaciers are retreating every year.
- Satellite imagery confirms that the Arctic ice shelf is retreating at an unprecedented rate due to rising global temperatures.

### 4. a quiet place

noun · CEFR B1

a private and peaceful place where you go to rest or relax.

For teachers: a place affording peace, quiet, and seclusion from daily life or stress.

- They spent the weekend at a mountain retreat far away from the city noise.
- The author spent three months at a remote coastal retreat to finish her latest novel without the distractions of modern life.

### 5. meditation/religious event

noun · CEFR B2

a period of time away from your normal life to pray, think, or study.

For teachers: a period of withdrawal from society for the purpose of spiritual meditation, prayer, or study.

- He went on a silent retreat at a monastery to clear his mind.
- The yoga instructor organized a ten-day mindfulness retreat in the countryside for advanced practitioners.

### 6. military signal

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

a signal given by a bugle or drum to tell soldiers to move back.

For teachers: a signal, such as a bugle call, indicating the need for withdrawal or marking the end of the day.

- The sound of the retreat echoed across the camp as the sun went down.
- The bugler sounded the retreat, signaling the formal lowering of the flag at the conclusion of the military ceremony.

## Examples

- The garden is my favorite retreat when the house is too noisy.
- After a stressful month at the office, she booked a weekend yoga retreat in the mountains to clear her mind.
- The general's decision to order a tactical retreat saved the remaining infantry from certain encirclement, though it cost the army its strategic foothold in the valley.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.