n. 1 retirement, withdrawal, pulling or falling or drawing back, giving ground, evacuation, flight The regiment's retreat in the face of overwhelming odds is complete 2 retirement, seclusion, withdrawal, isolation, solitude, rustication Since her retreat from public life, she has devoted herself to painting 3 sanctuary, sanctum (sanctorum), refuge, shelter, den, haven, asylum, resort, hideaway, hide-out Antonia insisted on having her own retreat where she could occasionally escape from the children
v. 4 withdraw, decamp, run (away), turn tail, depart, give or lose ground, pull or fall or draw back, retire, evacuate, flee, take flight We must retreat to the shelter of the hills, where we can regroup 5 ebb, draw or move back, recede The waves, constantly advancing and retreating across the pebbly strand, lulled me to sleep