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. renounce may carry the …

RETRACTING definition: 1. present participle of retract 2. to take back an offer or statement, etc. or admit that a…. Learn more.

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

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 disavowal …

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

If you retract something that you have said or written, you say that you did not mean it. Mr Smith hurriedly sought to retract the statement, but it had just been broadcast on national radio. [VERB …

Jan 14, 2026 · Verb retract (third-person singular simple present retracts, present participle retracting, simple past and past participle retracted) (transitive) To cancel or take back (something, such as an …

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, never …

Retract definition: To take back; disavow.

She was forced to retract [= take back] her statement. Their college grants were retracted. They retracted the job offer. The stadium's roof is retractable.