abjure, renounce, forswear, recant, retract mean to withdraw one's word or professed belief. abjure implies a firm and final rejecting or abandoning often made under oath.

RETRACT meaning: 1. to take back an offer or statement, etc. or admit that a statement was false: 2. to pull…. Learn more.

If you retract something that you have said or written, you say that you did not mean it.

Definition of retract verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

1. to draw back or in: to retract fangs. 1. to withdraw (a statement, opinion, etc.) as inaccurate or unjustified, esp. formally. 2. to withdraw or revoke (a decree, promise, etc.). 4. to make a …

re•tract1 /rɪˈtrækt/ v. to draw back or in: [~ + object] A snake can retract its fangs. [no object] The wheels on the airplane don't retract. re•tract2 /rɪˈtrækt/ v. [~ + object] to withdraw (a statement, …

Dec 17, 2025 · retract (third-person singular simple present retracts, present participle retracting, simple past and past participle retracted) (transitive) To cancel or take back (something, such …

The sense of the word retract meaning to draw back or withdraw comes from the mid-16th century, and its meaning was clear when Napoleon Bonaparte said, "In politics...never retreat, …

Retract definition: To take back; disavow.

RETRACT definition: to draw back or in. See examples of retract used in a sentence.