Retract — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure

pull away from a source of disgust or fear

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/ɹᵻtɹˈækt/

🇬🇧British English

/ɹɪtɹˈakt/

🇮🇳Indian English

/ɹɪtɹˈakt/

2 syllables Say it as /ɹᵻtɹˈækt/.

Examples

He retracted his earlier statements about his religion
She abjured her beliefs
The pilot drew in the landing gear

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

shrink back draw back draw in pull back resile forswear recant abjure

Parts of Speech

verb	formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure “He retracted his earlier statements about his religion”
verb	pull away from a source of disgust or fear
verb	use a surgical instrument to hold open (the edges of a wound or an organ)
verb	pull inward or towards a center “The pilot drew in the landing gear”

Word Forms

abjuration	noun	a disavowal or taking back of a previous assertion
abjurer	noun	a person who abjures
recantation	noun	a disavowal or taking back of a previous assertion
forswearing	noun	the act of renouncing; sacrificing or giving up or surrendering (a possession or right or title or privilege etc.)
retraction	noun	a disavowal or taking back of a previous assertion
retractor	noun	surgical instrument that holds back the edges of a surgical incision

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

einfahren

Eine frühere Überzeugung formell ablehnen oder desavouieren, meist unter Druck

🇫🇷French

rétracter

rejeter ou désavouer formellement une croyance ancienne, généralement sous pression

🇪🇸Spanish

retraer

Rechazar o repudiar formalmente una creencia mantenida anteriormente, generalmente bajo presión.

🇮🇹Italian

ritrattare

rifiutare o rinnegare formalmente una convinzione precedentemente sostenuta, di solito sotto pressione

🇳🇱Dutch

intrekken

een voorheen gekoesterde overtuiging formeel afwijzen of verwerpen, meestal onder druk

🇵🇹Portuguese

retrair

rejeitar ou rejeitar formalmente uma crença anteriormente defendida, geralmente sob pressão

🇷🇺Russian

убрать

формально отвергнуть или дезавуировать ранее существовавшие убеждения, обычно под давлением

India

🇮🇳Hindi

वापस लेना

आमतौर पर दबाव में, किसी पूर्व मान्यता को औपचारिक रूप से अस्वीकार या अस्वीकार करना

🇧🇩Bengali

প্রত্যাহার করা

আনুষ্ঠানিকভাবে প্রত্যাখ্যান বা পূর্বে অনুষ্ঠিত বিশ্বাসকে অস্বীকার করা, সাধারণত চাপের মধ্যে

🇮🇳Tamil

திரும்பப் பெறு

வழக்கமாக அழுத்தத்தின் கீழ், முன்பு இருந்த நம்பிக்கையை முறையாக நிராகரித்தல் அல்லது மறுத்தல்

🇮🇳Telugu

ఉపసంహరించుకోండి

సాధారణంగా ఒత్తిడిలో ఉన్న గతంలో ఉన్న నమ్మకాన్ని అధికారికంగా తిరస్కరించడం లేదా తిరస్కరించడం

🇮🇳Marathi

मागे घेणे

औपचारिकपणे नाकारणे किंवा पूर्वी ठेवलेला विश्वास नाकारणे, सहसा दबावाखाली

🇮🇳Gujarati

પાછું ખેંચવું

સામાન્ય રીતે દબાણ હેઠળ, અગાઉની માન્યતાને ઔપચારિક રીતે નકારી કાઢો અથવા નામંજૂર કરો

🇮🇳Kannada

ಹಿಂತೆಗೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳಿ

ಔಪಚಾರಿಕವಾಗಿ ಹಿಂದಿನ ನಂಬಿಕೆಯನ್ನು ತಿರಸ್ಕರಿಸಿ ಅಥವಾ ನಿರಾಕರಿಸು, ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಒತ್ತಡದಲ್ಲಿ

🇮🇳Malayalam

പിൻവലിക്കുക

ഔപചാരികമായി സമ്മർദത്തിൻകീഴിൽ, മുമ്പ് വിശ്വസിച്ചിരുന്ന ഒരു വിശ്വാസം ഔപചാരികമായി നിരസിക്കുകയോ നിരസിക്കുകയോ ചെയ്യുക

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਵਾਪਸ ਲੈਣਾ

ਰਸਮੀ ਤੌਰ 'ਤੇ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਰੱਖੇ ਗਏ ਵਿਸ਼ਵਾਸ ਨੂੰ ਰੱਦ ਜਾਂ ਅਸਵੀਕਾਰ ਕਰਨਾ, ਆਮ ਤੌਰ 'ਤੇ ਦਬਾਅ ਹੇਠ

🇵🇰Urdu

واپس لینا

باضابطہ طور پر پہلے سے رکھے گئے عقیدے کو مسترد یا مسترد کرنا، عام طور پر دباؤ میں

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

缩回

通常在压力下正式拒绝或否认以前持有的信念

🇯🇵Japanese

撤回する

通常は圧力を受けて、以前に信じられていた信念を正式に拒否または否認する

🇰🇷Korean

쑥 들어가게 하다

일반적으로 압력을 받아 이전에 가졌던 신념을 공식적으로 거부하거나 거부합니다.

🇻🇳Vietnamese

rút lại

chính thức từ chối hoặc từ chối một niềm tin trước đây, thường là dưới áp lực

🇹🇭Thai

ถอนกลับ

ปฏิเสธหรือปฏิเสธความเชื่อที่เคยยึดถืออย่างเป็นทางการ มักจะอยู่ภายใต้แรงกดดัน

🇮🇩Indonesian

menarik

secara formal menolak atau menyangkal keyakinan yang dianut sebelumnya, biasanya di bawah tekanan

🇵🇭Filipino

bawiin

pormal na tinatanggihan o tinatanggihan ang isang dating pinaniniwalaan, kadalasang nasa ilalim ng presyon

🇲🇾Malay

tarik balik

secara rasmi menolak atau menolak kepercayaan yang dipegang dahulu, biasanya di bawah tekanan

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

تراجع

رفض أو التنصل رسميًا من معتقد سابق، وعادةً ما يكون ذلك تحت الضغط

🇮🇷Persian

پس گرفتن

معمولاً تحت فشار، به طور رسمی باورهای قبلی را رد یا رد می کنند

🇹🇷Turkish

geri çekmek

Önceden sahip olunan bir inancı, genellikle baskı altında, resmi olarak reddetmek veya reddetmek

🇮🇱Hebrew

לָסֶגֶת

לדחות או להתנער באופן רשמי מאמונה שהייתה בעבר, בדרך כלל תחת לחץ

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'retract'?

The primary meaning of 'retract' is 'formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'retract' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'retract' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'retract' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'retract' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'retract' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'retract' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'retract' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'retract' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'retract' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'retract' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted