n. 25B6; verb
the army retreated : WITHDRAW, retire, draw back, pull back/out, fall back, give way, give ground, beat a retreat.
the tide was retreating : GO OUT, ebb, recede, fall, go down.
the government had to retreat : CHANGE ONE'S MIND, change one's plans; back down, climb down, do a U-turn, backtrack, back-pedal, give in, concede defeat; Brit. do an about-turn.
advance.
25B6; noun
the retreat of the army : WITHDRAWAL, pulling back.
the President's retreat : CLIMBDOWN, backdown, about-face; Brit. about-turn.
her rural retreat : REFUGE, haven, sanctuary; hideaway, hideout, hiding place; informal hidey-hole.
a period of retreat from the world : SECLUSION, withdrawal, retirement, solitude, isolation, sanctuary.