verb

retract

to retract, to withdraw, to take back

The newspaper had to retract the story.

The newspaper had to retract the story.

The cat retracted its claws.

The cat retracted its claws.

((sth.)) to take back an offer or statement He retracted his confession.

Synonyms: withdraw, take back, revoke; Antonyms: assert, state

From Latin 're-' (back) + 'trahere' (to draw, pull). Literally 'to pull back'.

Think of a tractor pulling something back. 'Re-' (back) + 'tract' (pull).

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