to retreat from
13
4.4
- phrasal verb
- /rɪˈtrit frʌm/
:
retirarse de
- Heartbroken, he locked the gates of the manor and completely retreated from the world.
- retreat from a position
- retreat from the world
- retreated from its role
And he would go there and retreat from the world to do his finest work.
- And he would go there and retreat from the world to do his finest work.
- With every atrocity, they hope that America grows fearful, retreating from the world and forsaking our friends.
- And the result of that has been to retreat from the conversation all together, which doesn't help.
- Are we going to retreat from all of the promiscuity, the dating apps and all of that, or our AI girlfriends and sex robots going to take over?
Examples
-
In response to this criticism, international development banks have retreated from large, high-profile infrastructure projects.
Academic text (1997) -
Now, according to dispatches just received from the Eastern front our troops had to retreat from their positions.
-
Most animals retreat from fire.
-
And he would go there and retreat from the world to do his finest work.
-
After walking away from his acting career, Mark retreated from the public eye, completely.
-
But this generation is now retreating from the political scene.
Academic text (2006) -
Young people have retreated from the public to the private sphere.
Academic text (1999) -
Finally, he too retreated from the yard, unhappy with himself and the thoughts he'd discovered.
Fiction book (2001) -
REPORTER: (ON TV) It now appears that the siege of the apartment building... where the hostages are being held has been called off... and the German police are retreating from the area.
-
With storm clouds gathering on the horizon, he retreated from the ledge to find shelter.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Leave a place or situation
∞
3.0
Leave a place quickly or suddenly
709
1.0
To leave a place or person and go somewhere else
632
3.5
Leave a person, place, or situation without taking part anymore
550
1.6
To leave secretly and quickly to get away from danger or control
466
2.8
To stop taking part in a place or activity
356
2.8
Move away from someone, or stop taking part in something
344
4.1
To move people out of a place because it is dangerous, for example during a fire
331
2.4
To run away from a place because it is dangerous
283
1.7
To step away to an earlier place
235
4.0
To move back from a place or plan to avoid danger
206
3.4
To stop being involved in an activity or agreement
165
3.0
To escape from people who are holding you, often by force
162
3.4
To move yourself and things backward from a place, person, or situation
137
2.7
To get away from a person, place, or situation that causes trouble
125
1.0
To go out of a place or leave a situation
92
2.9
To avoid dealing with a problem or responsibility
86
3.5
To move away from people or a place to create space
59
3.9
Stop supporting or taking part in a plan because you feel unsure
57
3.7
To move back to a safer place when facing danger
53
3.8
Move away from people to a quieter place
7
5.6
To leave a place quickly to escape danger or trouble
7
9.2
Leave a place quickly to avoid trouble or danger
6
4.1
Leave a place because it is dangerous or officials tell you to
5
8.0
To leave a place very quickly to avoid danger or trouble
4
7.8
To run away quickly to escape danger
2
2.5
Leave a place quickly because you are in a hurry
1
6.0
To leave a place quickly to avoid danger or trouble
1
6.1
Run away quickly to escape danger or trouble
Take back a promise or support you gave
Escape everyday problems and stress by leaving for a while
Antonyms
How Far
773
3.1
344
4.1
466
2.8
13
4.4
162
3.4
101
3.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The verb 'retreat' means to move away or withdraw to avoid danger and the preposition 'from' marks the source; together they straightforwardly yield 'withdraw from X'. This is a compositional, cross-linguistically common pattern that a B1 learner who knows both words would readily understand.
Etymology
Retreat from comes from the image of soldiers leaving a dangerous place; when soldiers retreat they move back away from the front to get to safety. So today it means 'to withdraw' or 'to stop taking part' in something.