retreat

re|treat¹ [rıˈtri:t] v

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1¦(army)¦

2¦(move back)¦

3¦(change your mind)¦

4¦(quiet place)¦

5 retreat into yourself/your shell/fantasy etc

6¦(finance)¦

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1.) ¦(ARMY)¦

to move away from the enemy after being defeated in battle

≠ ↑advance

▪ The rebels retreated to the mountains.

▪ They were attacked and forced to retreat.

2.) ¦(MOVE BACK)¦

[i]written

a) to move away from someone or something

▪ He saw her and retreated, too shy to speak to her.

retreat to/from/into etc

▪ Perry lit the fuse and retreated to a safe distance.

▪ It was not a conscious choice to retreat from public life.

b) if an area of water, snow, or land retreats, it gradually gets smaller

▪ The flood waters are slowly retreating.

3.) ¦(CHANGE YOUR MIND)¦

written to decide not to do something you were planning to do, because it was unpopular or too difficult

retreat from

▪ The Canadian government has retreated from a plan to kill 300 wolves.

4.) ¦(QUIET PLACE)¦

to go away to a place that is quiet or safe

retreat from/into/to

▪ After the noise of the city he was glad to retreat to his hotel room.

5.) retreat into yourself/your shell/fantasy etc

to ignore what is happening around you and give all your attention to your private thoughts

6.) ¦(FINANCE)¦

technical if shares etc retreat, their value falls to a lower level

retreat ²

retreat² n

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1¦(of an army)¦

2¦(movement back)¦

3 beat a retreat

4¦(change of intention)¦

5¦(place)¦

6¦(thought and prayer)¦

7¦(finance)¦

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[Date: 1200-1300; : Old French; Origin: retret, from retraire 'to withdraw', from Latin retrahere; RETRACT]

1.) ¦(OF AN ARMY)¦ [U and C]

a movement away from the enemy after a defeat in battle

≠ ↑advance

▪ Napoleon's retreat from Moscow

▪ The rebel forces are in full retreat (=retreating very fast) .

▪ The bugler sounded the retreat (=gave a loud signal for retreat) .

2.) ¦(MOVEMENT BACK)¦ [singular,U]

a movement away from someone or something

retreat from

▪ Ten thousand years ago the ice began its retreat from Scotland.

3.) beat a retreat informal

to leave a place quickly

▪ I saw my aunt coming and beat a hasty retreat .

4.) ¦(CHANGE OF INTENTION)¦ [singular,U]

when you change your mind about something because your idea was unpopular or too difficult

retreat from

▪ a retreat from hard-line policies

5.) ¦(PLACE)¦

a place you can go to that is quiet or safe

▪ a country retreat

6.) ¦(THOUGHT AND PRAYER)¦ [U and C]

a period of time that you spend praying or studying religion in a quiet place

on (a) retreat

▪ I spent three weeks on retreat in Scotland.

7.) ¦(FINANCE)¦ [singular,U]

technical a situation in which the value of shares etc falls to a lower level