retrieve
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to find and bring something back from where it was left or lost.
v.to recover or regain possession of something; transitive use requiring a direct object.
Simple“The police managed to retrieve the stolen paintings from a warehouse.”
In context“Archaeologists worked carefully to retrieve the fragile pottery fragments from the muddy riverbed before the tide came in.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to find and get information that is stored on a computer.
v.to access and extract data from a storage system or database.
Simple“The software allows you to retrieve deleted files within thirty days.”
In context“The system is designed to retrieve complex data sets in milliseconds, ensuring that the user interface remains responsive during peak traffic.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
v.when a dog finds and brings back a bird or animal that has been shot.
v.to find and bring back killed or wounded game; often used intransitively when describing a dog's trained ability.
Simple“The golden retriever jumped into the lake to retrieve the duck.”
In context“A well-trained gun dog must learn to retrieve on command without damaging the bird with its teeth.”
- 04 C2 Proficiency
v.to reach and hit a difficult ball back to your opponent.
v.to make a successful return of a ball that appeared difficult or impossible to reach.
Simple“She managed to retrieve the smash and eventually won the point.”
In context“The defender's ability to retrieve low volleys from the baseline kept him in the match against a much more aggressive opponent.”
- 05 C1 Advanced
n.the act of finding and bringing something back.
n.the process or act of recovery; often used in technical or sporting contexts.
Simple“The retrieve of the sunken vessel took several months of planning.”
In context“The dog's quick retrieve of the fallen pheasant impressed the judges during the final round of the competition.”
Usage retrieve information
“In the first post , it said the death toll was 38, adding: “The bodies have been retrieved from the lake.” Then it said that 44 people were now known to have died.”
“These include warnings about trying to retrieve devices that slip into seat and pleas not to put lithium-ion devices in checked luggage.”
Recorded in Middle English c. 1410 as retreve (altered to retrive in the 16th century; modern form is from c. 1650), from Middle French retruev-, stem of Old French retrover (“to find again”, modern retrouver), itself from re- (“again”) + trover (“to find”), probably from Vulgar Latin *tropāre (“to compose”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.