What does "retrieve" mean?
A retrieval.
Retrieve
/ɹɪˈtɹiːv/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A retrieval.
- Grammar: retrieve is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: recover, regain, access, accessed.
- Useful contrasts: airdrop, airdrops, blanking.
- Usage evidence: The secretary went to the storage room to retrieve the file.
How to use "retrieve"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "retrieve" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "retrieve" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "retrieve" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "retrieve" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "retrieve" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "recover" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "retrieve", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A retrieval.
"Secondly, the number of retrieves given in any one session is restricted according to the dog's level of interest. If he is not madly keen he has perhaps two or three retrieves in a session, and on some days he will have none at all."
- 2 The return of a difficult ball.
- 3 A seeking again; a discovery. obsolete
- 4 The recovery of game once sprung. obsolete
"we'll bring Wax to the retrieve"
Verb
- 1 To regain or get back something. transitive
"to retrieve one's character or independence; to retrieve a thrown ball"
- 2 recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection wordnet
- 3 To rescue (a creature). transitive
- 4 run after, pick up, and bring to the master wordnet
- 5 To salvage something transitive
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 go for and bring back wordnet
- 7 To remedy or rectify something. transitive
- 8 get or find back; recover the use of wordnet
- 9 To remember or recall something. transitive
- 10 To fetch or carry back something, especially (computing) a file or data record. transitive
"to retrieve them from their cold, trivial conceits"
- 11 To fetch and bring in game. transitive
"The cook doesn't care what's shot, only what's actually retrieved."
- 12 To fetch and bring in game systematically. intransitive
"Dog breeds called 'retrievers' were selected for retrieving."
- 13 To fetch or carry back systematically, notably as a game. intransitive
"Most dogs love retrieving, regardless of what object is thrown."
- 14 To make a difficult but successful return of the ball. transitive
- 15 To remedy the evil consequence of, to repair (a loss or damage). obsolete
"Accept my sorrow, and retrieve my fall."
Example
"The secretary went to the storage room to retrieve the file."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "retrieve"?
Common synonyms include: recover, regain, access, accessed, accesses, automatic ripping.
How do you use "retrieve" in a sentence?
The secretary went to the storage room to retrieve the file.
How do you pronounce "retrieve"?
Pronounced /ɹɪˈtɹiːv/.
Etymology
Recorded in Middle English c. 1410 as retreve (altered to retrive in the 16th century; modern form is from c. 1650), from Middle French retruev-, stem of Old French retrover (“to find again”, modern retrouver), itself from re- (“again”) + trover (“to find”), probably from Vulgar Latin *tropāre (“to compose”).