ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsRretract
ISEE/SSATmedium
retract
Meaning: to pull back or withdraw something previously stated or extended
retract in a sentence
How retract is used in real sentences:
The turtle will quickly retract its head whenever a shadow passes overhead.
Embarrassed by his hasty accusation, the student stood up in class and chose to retract his earlier comment about his classmate.
“By spring, the evidence forced Ortiz to retract her early claim that feeders alone had ended the flock's migration.”
— from the passage The Winter Choice
Synonyms for retract
Other words for retract — withdraw, recant and rescind — carry the same meaning.
Antonyms of retract
Words that mean the opposite of retract:
- extend
- affirm
- maintain
Where it comes from
From Latin retractare 'to withdraw, draw back'
Word parts
- tract — pull, drag
retract: re- (back) + tract (pull)
Memory hook
reTRACT — TRACT (pull, from Latin trahere) — to PULL something back in.