Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Keep "retreats" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "retreats" intact in the sentence you are editing.
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
After choosing a replacement for "retreats", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "retreats" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
Showing 16 of 22 words.
5 total sentences available.
A state that entrusts its protection to mercenaries will sooner or later perish, as did ancient Rome, whose inhabitants only wanted to eat and entertain themselves, and left the protection of their native land to the Germanic tribes. The latter betrayed their employers as soon as it became profitable. A real, strong enemy retreats only when all the inhabitants of the country are ready to stand up against it.
Source: tatoeba (10636442)
As Arctic temperatures increase, the ice cover retreats more, exposing more ocean to the sun, warming the water, which melts more ice.
Source: tatoeba (11994698)
Get up, my beloved, my beautiful, come! My dove, hidden in the hollows of the rocks, in steep retreats, show me your face, make me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet and your face is charming.
Source: tatoeba (12398220)
He often attends yoga retreats.
Source: tatoeba (12826781)
Showing 4 of 5 available sentences.
Closest matches include back away, back out, demobilization, detach, haven.
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.