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 …

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

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

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

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 …

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. …

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, …

'Retracting' means to withdraw or go back on a promise, agreement, or statement, or to draw or be drawn back inside something.

retracting, n.¹ meanings, etymology, pronunciation and more in the Oxford English Dictionary