(~s, ~ing, ~ed)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
If you ~, you move away from something or someone.
‘I’ve already got a job,’ I said quickly, and ~ed from the room...
VERB: V prep, also V
2.
When an army ~s, it moves away from enemy forces in order to avoid fighting them.
The French, suddenly outnumbered, were forced to ~...
VERB: V
•
Retreat is also a noun.
In June 1942, the British 8th Army was in full ~.
N-VAR
3.
If you ~ from something such as a plan or a way of life, you give it up, usually in order to do something safer or less extreme.
I believe people should live in houses that allow them to ~ from the harsh realities of life...
VERB: V from/into n
•
Retreat is also a noun.
The President’s remarks appear to signal that there will be no ~ from his position...
N-VAR: usu N from/into n
4.
A ~ is a quiet, isolated place that you go to in order to rest or to do things in private.
He spent yesterday hidden away in his country ~.
N-COUNT: oft supp N
5.
If you beat a ~, you leave a place quickly in order to avoid an embarrassing or dangerous situation.
Cockburn decided it was time to beat a hasty ~.
PHRASE: V inflects