/ rɪˈtriːvl; NAmE / noun [ U ]
1.
( formal ) the process of getting sth back, especially from a place where it should not be
SYN recovery :
The ship was buried, beyond retrieval, at the bottom of the sea.
( figurative )
By then the situation was beyond retrieval (= impossible to put right) .
2.
( computing ) the process of getting back information that is stored on a computer :
methods of information retrieval