Retract \Re*tract"\ (r[-e]*tr[=a]kt"), v. t. [imp. & p. p.
Retracted; p. pr. & vb. n. Retracting.] [F. r['e]tracter,
L. retractare, retractatum, to handle again, reconsider,
retract, fr. retrahere, retractum, to draw back. See
Retreat.]
1. To draw back; to draw up or shorten; as, the cat can
retract its claws; to retract a muscle.
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2. To withdraw; to recall; to disavow; to recant; to take
back; as, to retract an accusation or an assertion.
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I would as freely have retracted this charge of
idolatry as I ever made it. --Bp.
Stillingfleet.
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3. To take back,, as a grant or favor previously bestowed; to
revoke. [Obs.] --Woodward.
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Syn: To recall; withdraw; rescind; revoke; unsay; disavow;
recant; abjure; disown.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Retract \Re*tract"\, v. i.
1. To draw back; to draw up; as, muscles retract after
amputation.
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2. To take back what has been said; to withdraw a concession
or a declaration.
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She will, and she will not; she grants, denies,
Consents, retracts, advances, and then files.
--Granville.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Retract \Re*tract"\, n. (Far.)
The pricking of a horse's foot in nailing on a shoe.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
retract
v 1: formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually
under pressure; "He retracted his earlier statements
about his religion"; "She abjured her beliefs" [syn: abjure,
recant, forswear, resile]
2: pull away from a source of disgust or fear [syn: shrink
back]
3: use a surgical instrument to hold open (the edges of a wound
or an organ) [syn: pull back, draw back]
4: pull inward or towards a center; "The pilot drew in the
landing gear"; "The cat retracted his claws" [syn: draw
in]
WordNet (r) 2.0
111 Moby Thesaurus words for "retract":
abandon, abjure, abolish, abrogate, annul, assert the contrary,
back, back down, back out, backwater, belie, cancel, cede,
climb down, contest, contradict, contravene, controvert, counter,
countermand, counterorder, crawfish out, cringe, cross, deny,
disaffirm, disallow, disannul, disavow, disclaim, disgorge, disown,
dispense with, dispose of, disprove, dispute, do away with,
do without, draw back, draw in, drop, duck, dump, eat crow,
eat humble pie, fall back, flinch, forgo, forswear, gainsay,
get along without, get rid of, give away, give up, have done with,
impugn, invalidate, join issue upon, kiss good-bye,
make a sacrifice, make void, not accept, not admit, nullify,
oppose, override, overrule, palinode, part with, pull back,
pull in, pull out, quitclaim, recall, recant, refuse to admit,
refute, relinquish, render up, renege, renounce, repeal, repudiate,
rescind, resign, retreat, retrocede, retrograde, reverse, revoke,
sacrifice, set aside, shrink, shy, spare, surrender, suspend,
swallow, swear off, take, take back, take issue with, throw up,
unsay, vacate, void, waive, wince, withdraw, write off, yield
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
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