Meaning & use

retrieve

verb·Everyday

To get something back, especially from a place where it was left or lost.

See it in a sentence

The dog ran into the lake to retrieve the tennis ball.

She had to retrieve her password after forgetting it for weeks.

A note on using this word

Retrieve is used both literally, for fetching objects, and technically, as in retrieving data from a computer or database.

Words with a similar meaning

recoverfetch

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

Make it your own

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