retracted; retracting; retracts
1
: to draw back or in
cats retract their claws
Synonyms
Examples of retract in a Sentence
A cat can retract its claws.
The pilot retracted the plane's landing gear.
The plane's landing gear failed to retract.
Their college grants were retracted.
They retracted the job offer.
Recent Examples on the Web
In the lyrical spar, J. Cole offered a diss record against his Compton peer, but then retracted the song and issued an apology.
—
Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 5 Nov. 2024
The most infamous of these had occurred in 2000, when several networks prematurely called Florida for Al Gore, only to retract the call and later declare George W. Bush the winner, as the state plunged into a protracted recount.
—Josh Rottenberg, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2024
The main living room has double-height ceilings and a wall of glass that retracts for seamless indoor-outdoor living.
—Denny Lee, Travel + Leisure, 2 Nov. 2024
After a defamation lawsuit, the film’s publishers, Salem Media Group, retracted the film, removing it from its platforms, and said there wouldn't be any future distribution of the book.
—Dhruv Mehrotra, WIRED, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for retract 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 5 Nov. 2024
The most infamous of these had occurred in 2000, when several networks prematurely called Florida for Al Gore, only to retract the call and later declare George W. Bush the winner, as the state plunged into a protracted recount.
—Josh Rottenberg, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2024
The main living room has double-height ceilings and a wall of glass that retracts for seamless indoor-outdoor living.
—Denny Lee, Travel + Leisure, 2 Nov. 2024
After a defamation lawsuit, the film’s publishers, Salem Media Group, retracted the film, removing it from its platforms, and said there wouldn't be any future distribution of the book.
—Dhruv Mehrotra, WIRED, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for retract
Dictionary Entries Near retract
Cite this Entry
“Retract.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retract. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
retract
verb
re·tract
ri-ˈtrakt 
1
: to draw or pull back or in
a cat can retract its claws
2
: to withdraw (as an offer, a statement, or a claim)
the newspaper retracted the story
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share