I. re ‧ treat 1 /rɪˈtriːt/ BrE AmE verb [intransitive]
1 . ARMY to move away from the enemy after being defeated in battle OPP advance :
The rebels retreated to the mountains.
They were attacked and forced to retreat.
2 . MOVE BACK 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
II. retreat 2 BrE AmE noun
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: retret , from retraire 'to withdraw' , from Latin retrahere ; ⇨ ↑ retract ]
1 . OF AN ARMY [uncountable and countable] a movement away from the enemy after a defeat in battle OPP 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, uncountable] 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, uncountable] 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 [countable] a place you can go to that is quiet or safe:
a country retreat
6 . THOUGHT AND PRAYER [uncountable and countable] 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, uncountable] technical a situation in which the value of shares etc falls to a lower level