retreat :

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retreat

ree treet

  • n  (military) withdrawal of troops to a more favorable position to escape the enemy's superior forces or after a defeat
    the disorderly retreat of French troops
  • n  a place of privacy; a place affording peace and quiet
  • n  (military) a signal to begin a withdrawal from a dangerous position
  • n  (military) a bugle call signaling the lowering of the flag at sunset
  • n  an area where you can be alone
  • n  withdrawal for prayer and study and meditation
    the religious retreat is a form of vacation activity
  • n  the act of withdrawing or going backward (especially to escape something hazardous or unpleasant)
  • v  pull back or move away or backward
  • v  move away, as for privacy
    The Pope retreats to Castelgondolfo every summer
  • v  move back
  • v  make a retreat from an earlier commitment or activity

  • Adolf Hitler's armies in southern Russia were in full retreat last week.
  • One morning last week the Russian state radio canceled its regular programs, and for the next three hours droned out details of a great Moscow retreat.
  • Raider Louis Wolfson, who parlayed a Jacksonville junkyard into a $240 million empire and attempted to gain control of giant Montgomery Ward, sounded a general retreat last week.
News & Articles

Quotes

  • Mitt Romney in RealClearPolitics (blog)
    Referring to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, Romney said, "They would retreat, declare defeat, and the consequence of that would be devastating."
  • Joe Lieberman in New York Times
    When others wanted to retreat in defeat from the field of battle, when Barack Obama was voting to cut off funding for our troops on the ground, John McCain had the courage to stand against the tide of public opinion and support the surge,Mr....
  • Paul Watson in AFP
    The Japanese whalers have now escalated this conflict very violently,said Paul Watson, captain of the Sea Shepherd's Steve Irwin ship. "If they think that our remaining two ships will retreat from the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary in the...

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