retract
verb
[ rɪˈtrakt ]
• draw back.
• "she retracted her hand as if she'd been burnt"
• withdraw (a statement or accusation) as untrue or unjustified.
• "he retracted his allegations"
Similar:
take back,
withdraw,
unsay,
recant,
disown,
disavow,
disclaim,
abjure,
repudiate,
renounce,
reverse,
revoke,
rescind,
annul,
cancel,
go back on,
backtrack on,
do a U-turn on,
row back on,
eat one's words,
do an about-turn on,
Origin:
late Middle English: from Latin retract- ‘drawn back’, from the verb retrahere (from re- ‘back’ + trahere ‘drag’); the senses ‘withdraw (a statement’) and ‘go back on’ via Old French from retractare ‘reconsider’ (based on trahere ‘drag’).
