Synonyms of retreats

retreats 1 of 2

noun

plural of retreat

1

as in withdrawals

an act of moving away especially from something difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable

we made a strategic retreat when we realized that we were outnumbered

Synonyms & Similar Words

• withdrawals
• retirements
• pullouts
• pullbacks
• recessions
• routs
• recoils
• revulsions
• flinches
• disengagements
• disentanglements

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• advances
• advancements

2

as in refuges

something (as a building) that offers cover from the weather or protection from danger

her bedroom served as a retreat from the frequent arguing between her parents

the abandoned cabin was a welcome retreat from the storm

Synonyms & Similar Words

• refuges
• shelters
• sanctuaries
• havens
• residences
• asylums
• lodgings
• bolt-holes
• harbors
• sanctums
• oases
• hideouts
• abodes
• quarters
• dwellings
• harborages
• hideaways
• ports
• moorings
• strongholds
• rests
• houses
• anchorages
• screens
• domiciles
• fortresses
• housings
• places
• roofs
• cloisters
• hermitages
• habitations
• forts
• dens
• castles
• coverts
• sheds
• lairs
• diggings
• redoubts
• covers
• pads
• closets
• lodgments
• palisades
• windbreaks
• lees
• lean-tos

retreats

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of retreat

1

as in withdraws

to move back or away (as from something difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable)

we retreated to the safety of the cellar at the first sign of the tornado

Synonyms & Similar Words

• withdraws
• retires
• flees
• recedes
• falls back
• pulls out
• drops back
• evacuates
• gives way
• backs away
• flies
• recoils
• gives ground
• leaves
• shrinks
• flinches
• loses ground
• detaches
• chickens (out)
• goes
• abandons
• departs
• disengages
• climbs down
• vacates
• pulls away
• backs down
• backtracks
• backpedals
• bows out
• quits
• disentangles

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• advances
• confronts
• dares
• faces
• breasts
• defies
• braves
• brazens
• outbraves
• beards

2

as in flees

to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening

the untried soldiers retreated in humiliating disarray almost as soon as the enemy's onslaught began

Synonyms & Similar Words

• flees
• flies
• escapes
• runs
• bolts
• breaks
• beats a retreat
• runs away
• runs off
• beats it
• turns tail
• hightails (it)
• makes tracks
• skedaddles
• absconds
• bugs out
• decamps
• skips (out)
• elopes
• gets (away)
• gets out
• lights out
• lams
• makes off
• scats
• clears out
• scrams
• scarpers
• mizzles
• skirrs

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• confronts
• dares
• faces
• defies
• stays
• remains
• dwells
• braves
• lingers
• hangs around
• abides
• beards
• sticks around
• tarries

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of retreats

Noun

Wellness travelers tend to spend more per trip than the average tourist, and gut-health retreats can come with some eye-popping price tags. — Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Oct. 2026

Gut health has become a major wellness focus, and the retreats built around it now span from hundreds of dollars to experiences valued at up to $20,000. — Ashley Lynch, Sacbee.com, 5 Oct. 2026

The longtime 305 fave also doubled as an event space, including for birthday parties, field trips, class reunions and corporate retreats. — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026

From mountain retreats to waterfront havens, these beautiful spots are a balm for your physical and mental health. — Claudia Fisher, Travel + Leisure, 25 Sep. 2026

Ted Turner Reserves also owns and operates four retreats—Armendaris, Ladder, and Sierra Grande in southern New Mexico; Vermejo in the north, on the border with Colorado—where wildlife-watching and nature excursions are built into travelers’ stays. — Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026

Gearin says that leaders who run these retreats are aware of clients’ high premium on being able to see outside the box and gain the ability to look at their business problems from different angles. — Claire Hoffman, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026

When that doesn’t work, Vicki yanks off her mic and retreats to her bedroom, leaving the others uncertain of what to do next. — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026

And the remainder, now tucked away in boxes, will go the Haymarket Center in Chicago, where Fagel is a volunteer leader at retreats that help first responders recover from trauma. — Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026

Verb

The front retreats to the north, but chances of rain stick around into early Friday as the shortwave (small disturbance) pushes out of the area. — Michael Autovino, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026

Havelock neither retreats to the closet nor holds out hope for resolution via vigilante justice. — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026

With the bulk of his work at practice done for the day, Achord retreats to the back of the end zone with Koonz, squatting and scribbling something on paper. — Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Twice a day, the tide retreats from the shoreline, sometimes for up to two miles. — Kim Foley MacKinnon, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

As his mind retreats to the hues of old movies, Charlotte breaks the fog with a glimmer of humanity. — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2026

The gunman briefly retreats, then returns to the window and fires inside the restaurant again, injuring a good Samaritan who was trying to help the trooper and render aid to Garibay. — Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 7 Aug. 2026

Start with energy markets and the fear of disruption to oil and gas exports if the United States retreats. — Michael Fuchs, Foreign Affairs, 6 Aug. 2026

Their late summer adventures will likely take them to their country home, Anmer Hall, as well as to Balmoral, where the royal family retreats en masse as summer begins to turn into fall. — Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 29 July 2026