retract

verb re·tract \ri-ˈtrakt\

: to pull (something) back into something larger that usually covers it

: to say that something you said or wrote is not true or correct

: to take back (something, such as an offer or promise)

Full Definition of RETRACT

transitive verb

: to draw back or in <cats retract their claws>

a : take back, withdraw <retract a confession>

b : disavow

intransitive verb

: to draw or pull back

: to recant or disavow something

— re·tract·able \-ˈtrak-tə-bəl\ adjective

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Origin of RETRACT

Middle English, from Latin retractus, past participle of retrahere — more at retreat

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to RETRACT

Synonyms: abnegate, forswear (also foreswear), recant, renege, renounce, repeal, repudiate, abjure, take back, unsay, withdraw

Antonyms: adhere (to)

Synonym Discussion of RETRACT

abjure, renounce, forswear, recant, retract mean to withdraw one's word or professed belief. abjure implies a firm rejecting or abandoning often made under oath <abjured the errors of his former faith>. renounce may carry the meaning of disclaim or disown <renounced abstract art and turned to portrait painting>. forswear may add an implication of perjury or betrayal <I cannot forswear my principles>. recant stresses the withdrawing or denying of something professed or taught <if they recant they will be spared>. retract applies to the withdrawing of a promise, an offer, or an accusation <the newspaper had to retract the story>.

recede, retreat, retract, back mean to move backward. recede implies a gradual withdrawing from a forward or high fixed point in time or space <the flood waters gradually receded>. retreat implies withdrawal from a point or position reached <retreating soldiers>. retract implies drawing back from an extended position <a cat retracting its claws>. back is used with up, down, out, or off to refer to any retrograde motion <backed off on the throttle>.