v., -tract·ed, -tract·ing, -tracts.

v.tr.

1. To take back; disavow: refused to retract the statement.
2. To draw back or in: a plane retracting its landing gear. See synonyms at recede¹.
3. Linguistics.
   1. To utter (a sound) with the tongue drawn back.
   2. To draw back (the tongue).

v.intr.

1. To take something back or disavow it.
2. 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.

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A bond that features an option for the holder to force the issuer to redeem the bond before maturity at par value. An investor may choose to shorten the maturity on a bond because of market conditions or if he or she requires the principal sooner than expected.

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For example, a company might issue 20-year retractable bonds to the market. This means the investor who buys the bond from the issuer has the right to receive the par value or face value of the bond at any time before maturity. If the investor exercises the right to retract, then he or she will forgo the rest of the coupon payments on the bond. An investor might exercise this option due to unfavorable market conditions such as a rise in interest rates. An increase in interest rates would translate into lower bond prices. As a result, investors may want to switch to higher-yielding bonds.

Related Links:
Investing in bonds - What are they, and do they belong in your portfolio? Bond Basics Tutorial
Learn the complex concepts and calculations for trading bonds including bond pricing, yield, term structure of interest rates and duration. Advanced Bond Concepts

verb

1. To disavow (something previously written or said) irrevocably and usually formally: abjure, recall, recant, take back, withdraw. See accept/reject.
2. To pull back in: draw in, withdraw. See show/hide.
3. To move back or away from a point, limit, or mark: ebb, recede, retreat, retrocede, retrograde, retrogress. See approach/retreat.

v

Definition: take back; renege on
Antonyms: corroborate, emphasize, extend, reaffirm, repeat

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IN BRIEF: To recall or take back (something that one has said).

People with tact have less to retract. — Arnold H. Glasow

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - trække tilbage, tage i sig igen
v. intr. - trække tilbage

Nederlands (Dutch)
intrekken, terugnemen

Français (French)
v. tr. - rétracter, retirer (une plainte), escamoter, rétracter (ses griffes) (un animal)
v. intr. - s'escamoter, se retirer

Deutsch (German)
v. - zurückziehen, einziehen

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - συστέλλω/-ομαι, αποσύρω, ανακαλώ, παίρνω πίσω, συμμαζεύω/-ομαι

Italiano (Italian)
ritrarre, ritrattare, revocare

Português (Portuguese)
v. - retrair, retratar

Русский (Russian)
отказываться, отрекаться, втянуть, брать назад, отменить

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - retractar, retirar, retraer, replegar
v. intr. - retractarse, desdecirse, retraerse, encogerse

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - dra tillbaka, fälla in, dementera

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
缩回, 缩进, 撤回, 收回, 撤销

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 縮回, 縮進, 撤回, 收回
v. intr. - 縮回, 縮進, 撤銷, 收回

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 쑥 들이키다, 수축시키다, 취소하다
v. intr. - 쑥 들어가다, 수축하다, 앞서 한 말을 취소 하다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 引っ込める, 引っ込む, 撤回する

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يكمش, يضم, يسحب‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮משך לאחור, הכניס, ביטל‬
v. intr. - ‮חזר בו, נסוג‬

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