retreat
/ɹɪˈtɹiːt/noun, verb
retreat is spelled R-E-T-R-E-A-T: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,778th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, retreat means “The act of pulling back or withdrawing, as from something dangerous, or unpleasant” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of retreat is retreats.
How many letters and syllables are in retreat?
| Letters | 7: R-E-T-R-E-A-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 13 times per million words; the 5,778th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is retreat?
Retreat appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,778th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce retreat?
- /ɹɪˈtɹiːt/
- /ɹəˈtɹiːt/
- /ɹiˈtɹiːt/
As a verb (“Alternative form of re-treat”): /ɹiːˈtɹiːt/.
Retreat has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-retreat.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-retreat.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with retreat
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: re-treat (one word or two).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with retreat?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as retreat.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: treater.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of retreat
- retreats plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- retreating participle, present
- retreated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does retreat mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act of pulling back or withdrawing, as from something dangerous, or unpleasant.
- 2
The act of reversing direction and receding from a forward position.
- 3
Withdrawal by a military force from a dangerous position or from enemy attack.
The general opted for a swift retreat because he saw his troops were vastly outnumbered.
- 4
A peaceful, quiet place affording privacy or security.
a mountain retreat
- 5
obsoleterareA peaceful, quiet place in which to urinate and defecate: an outhouse; a lavatory.
- 6
A period of retirement, seclusion, or solitude, especially for meditation, prayer, or study.
We both need a week retreat after those two stressful years working in the city.
- 7
A signal for a military withdrawal.
- 8
A bugle call or drumbeat signaling the lowering of the flag at sunset, as on a military base.
verb
- 1
To withdraw from a position, go back.
- 2
To withdraw military forces.
The general refused to order his soldiers to retreat, despite being vastly outnumbered.
- 3
To shrink back due to generally warmer temperatures. (of a glacier)
- 4
To slope back.
a retreating forehead
- 5
Alternative form of re-treat.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Retreat in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | retraite , se retirer, se replier, battre en retraite |
| German | Rückzug , sich zurückziehen, abziehen |
| Portuguese | retirada , retirar, retirar-se , retiro |
| Spanish | retirada, repliegue , retirarse, replegarse , retiro |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does retreat come from?
From Middle English retret, from Old French retrait or retret, from Latin retractus, from retraho. Doublet of retract, retrait, and ritratto.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).