Definition

1. Verb:
   • To pull or draw something back or inward: To move a part of something, especially a flexible or extendable part, back toward a center or into a main body.
   • To withdraw a statement, opinion, or promise: To formally take back something one has said or written, often because it was incorrect or made under pressure.

Usage and Examples

• To pull something inward:

  • The cat can retract its claws when they are not needed.
  • After takeoff, the pilot must retract the airplane's landing gear.

• To withdraw a statement or belief:

  • The newspaper was forced to retract the false story and issue an apology.
  • Under oath, the witness retracted her earlier testimony.

Advanced Usage

• "To retract into oneself": To become withdrawn or uncommunicative, often due to shyness or fear.
  • After the criticism, he retracted into himself and stopped participating in meetings.

Variants and Related Words

• Retractable (adj): Capable of being pulled back or in.
  • A retractable pen has a point that can be withdrawn into the body.
• Retraction (n): The act of retracting or a formal statement that retracts a previous one.
  • The journal published a retraction of the flawed study.

Synonyms

• Withdraw: To take back or remove.
• Recant: To formally renounce a belief or statement, especially a religious or political one.
• Take back: To withdraw something said.

Phrasal Verbs

(This word is not commonly used in phrasal verb constructions. Its meanings are contained within the single verb form.)

Related Idioms

• None directly associated: The word "retract" itself is typically used in literal or formal contexts and is not the basis for common idioms.

Verb

1. pull inward or towards a center
   • The pilot drew in the landing gear
   • The cat retracted his claws
2. use a surgical instrument to hold open (the edges of a wound or an organ)
3. pull away from a source of disgust or fear
4. formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure
   • He retracted his earlier statements about his religion
   • She abjured her beliefs