English Explanatory Dictionary

retract

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To pull (something) back or back inside.
  2. To draw (an extended body part) back into the body.
  3. To avert (one's eyes or a gaze).
  4. To pronounce (a sound, especially a vowel) farther to the back of the vocal tract.
  5. To hold back (something); to restrain.
  6. To draw back; to draw up; to withdraw.
noun
  1. An act of retracting or withdrawing (a mistake, a statement, etc.); a retraction.
  2. A pulling back, especially (military) of an army or military troops; a pull-back, a retreat; also, a signal for this to be done.
  3. A subgroup of a given group such that there is a surjective endomorphism from the ambient group to the subgroup which is constant on the subgroup; in this case the subgroup is a retract of the ambient group. In symbols: H in G is a retract of G if there exists a surjective homomorphism σ from G to H with σ|_H= operatorname id.
  4. The target of a retraction.
  5. Synonym of retreat (“an act of accidentally injuring a horse's foot by incorrectly nailing it during shoeing”).
verb
  1. To cancel or take back (something, such as an edict or a favour or grant previously bestowed); to rescind, to revoke.
  2. To break or fail to keep (a promise, etc.); to renege.
  3. To take back or withdraw (something that has been said or written); to disavow, to repudiate.
  4. Originally in chess and now in other games as well: to take back or undo (a move); specifically (card games) to take back or withdraw (a card which has been played).
  5. To decline or fail to do something promised; to break one's word.
  6. Of something said or written (such as published academic work): to take back or withdraw.
  7. To change one's mind after declaring an intention to make a certain move.

Pronunciation

/ɹɪˈtɹækt/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-retract.wav /ɹiˈtɹækt/ /ɹəˈtɹækt/

Word forms

retract retracts retracting retracted no-table-tags glossary retractest retractedst retracteth

Etymology

From Late Middle English retracten, retract (“to absorb, draw in”), from Latin retractus (“withdrawn”), the perfect passive participle of Latin retrahō (“to draw or pull back, withdraw; to bring back; to compel to turn back; to recall; to get back, recover; to hold back, restrain, withhold; to remove, take away; to bring to light again; (Late Latin) to delay”), from re- (prefix meaning ‘again’) + trahō (“to drag, pull; to extract, withdraw”). Doublet of retreat.

Synonyms

pull back retreat unsay unspeak walk back withcall withdraw abjure backpedal disavow disown eat one's words recall recant retract revoke swallow take back

Antonyms

extend protrude affirm confirm maintain

Related words

nonretraction retraction retractive retreat retractate retractation retractative epanorthosis

Derived words

nonretractable nonretractile nonretracting retractability retractibility retractable retractible retracter retractility unretractable unretracted unretractile withtract retracted retractile retracting retractor deformation retract retraction

Translations

Bulgarian: прибирам Chinese Mandarin: 收起 Chinese Mandarin: 收回 Czech: vtáhnout Czech: zatáhnout Finnish: vetää sisään Greek: συμπτύσσω Hungarian: behúz Hungarian: visszahúz Māori: whakakopa Portuguese: retrair Romanian: retracta Romanian: retrage Russian: втягивать Russian: вбира́ть Spanish: retraer Bulgarian: взимам си думите назад Czech: vzít zpět Czech: odvolat Finnish: vetää pois French: rétracter Greek: ανακαλώ Hungarian: visszavon Italian: ritrattare Māori: kairua Portuguese: retrair Portuguese: retirar Romanian: retracta Romanian: dezice Spanish: retractar Spanish: desdecirse Swedish: ta tillbaka
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