retract
ree trakt
- v formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure
He retracted his earlier statements about his religion - v pull away from a source of disgust or fear
- v use a surgical instrument to hold open (the edges of a wound or an organ)
- v pull inward or towards a center
The cat retracted his claws
- As of last week, the princess had refused to retract her remark about Tiggy.
- GRAMM STANDS BY HIS REMARKS: Says in a WashPost interview Thursday, "I'm not going to retract any of it.
- To resume ironing, just touch it again, and the legs gently retract.