English Reference
Verb

retrieving

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate US /ɹiˈtɹivɪŋ/ UK /ɹɪtɹˈiːvɪŋ/ re·triev·ing

v.getting something back from the place where it was left or stored. You use this when you find information on a computer or go to pick up an object.

v.the present participle of 'retrieve', referring to the act of recovering or regaining possession of something. Often used in the context of data recovery or physical objects being brought back from a distance.


SIMPLE

The dog is retrieving the ball from the tall grass.

CONTEXTUAL

The system is currently retrieving your account details from the central database.

COMPLEX

By retrieving the lost manuscript from the archives, the historian was able to challenge the long-held assumptions regarding the treaty's secret clauses.

Usage

As a transitive verb, it requires a direct object representing the thing being recovered.

That area plays a key role in forming and retrieving what scientists call episodic memories: memories of specific events and experiences in a person's life.

BBC News· 31 Aug 2026

Rikardsen then waited eight hours for the bear to move away before retrieving the camera and reviewing the images.

BBC News· 25 Aug 2026
This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Occasional
Updated