v., -tract·ed, -tract·ing, -tracts. v.tr.
- To take back; disavow: refused to retract the statement.
- To draw back or in: a plane retracting its landing gear. See synonyms at recede1.
- Linguistics.
- To utter (a sound) with the tongue drawn back.
- To draw back (the tongue).
- To take something back or disavow it.
- To draw back.
[Latin retractāre, to revoke, frequentative of retrahere, to draw back : re-, re- + trahere, to draw. V., tr., senses 2 and 3, and v., intr., sense 2, Middle English retracten, from Old French retracter, from Latin retractus, past participle of retrahere.]
retractability re·tract'a·bil'i·ty or re·tract'i·bil'i·ty n.retractable re·tract'a·ble or re·tract'i·ble adj.
retractation re'trac·ta'tion (rē'trăk-tā'shən) n.





