rə̇.ˈtrakt, rē.ˈ- verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English retracten, from Latin retractus, past participle of retrahere to draw back, withdraw — more at retreat
transitive verb
1.
a. : to draw or pull back or in
a cat can retract it claws
flipped out its wings and retracted them again — E.A.Armstrong
throwing out and retracting their left fists — G.B.Shaw
b.
(1) : to move (the tongue) further back
(2) : back 3b
2. obsolete
a. : to draw or bring (a person) back
b. : to hold back : prevent , restrain
c. : to take away : remove
3.
[Middle French retracter, from Latin retractare to pull back, withdraw, retract, freq. of retrahere to draw back]
: to take back (as an accusation or promise) : recall , recant , disavow
retract the wish as brutal — Thomas Hardy
retract everything we had previously said — L.L.Snyder
a confession she later retracted — Robert Parris
refused to retract his previous naturalism — Americana Annual
intransitive verb
1. : to draw back : undergo retraction
beds automatically retract into the walls — Current Biography
watched the boat retract from the beach — K.M.Dodson
she did not retract in horror; but laughed — Elizabeth Taylor
2. : to withdraw, recant, or disavow something (as an accusation, statement, opinion)
was tarred, feathered, and carried several miles in a cart, but refused to retract — E.K.Alden
Synonyms: see abjure , recede