beat a retreat

beat a re·treat

B b

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [beet ey ri-treet]
- /bit eɪ rɪˈtrit/
- /biːt ə rɪˈtriːt/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [beet ey ri-treet]
- /bit eɪ rɪˈtrit/

Definitions of beat a retreat words

noun beat a retreat to withdraw or depart in haste 3
noun beat a retreat to signal for retreat by beating a drum 3
noun beat a retreat to retreat in a hurry 3
noun beat a retreat the forced or strategic withdrawal of an army or an armed force before an enemy, or the withdrawing of a naval force from action. 1
noun beat a retreat the act of withdrawing, as into safety or privacy; retirement; seclusion. 1
noun beat a retreat a place of refuge, seclusion, or privacy: The library was his retreat. 1

See all 16 definitions of beat a retreat

Information block about the term

Origin of beat a retreat

First appearance:

before 1300

One of the 15% oldest English words

1300-50; (noun) Middle English retret < Old French, variant of retrait, noun use of past participle of retraire to draw back < Latin retrahere (re- re- + trahere to draw; see retract1); (v.) late Middle English retreten < Middle French retraitier < Latin retractāre to retract2

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Beat a retreat

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Beat a retreat

beat a retreat popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 94% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

beat a retreat usage trend in Literature

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