# retrieve

Pronunciation: US say "ri-TREEV" /ɹɪˈtɹiːv/; UK

## Verb

1. To regain or get back something that was lost or taken away.
   - Simple: To get something back after losing it.
   - _The lawyer worked for years to retrieve the property seized during the war._
   - _He finally retrieved the deposit the landlord had withheld._
2. To fetch and carry back something, especially a file or data record stored on a computer.
   - Simple: To go and bring something back, such as a file stored on a computer.
   - _The clerk went to retrieve the missing paperwork from the back room._
   - _The app retrieved her order history in less than a second._
3. To call a piece of information back to mind from memory.
   - Simple: To bring something back into your mind that you knew before.
   - _Under pressure, she could not retrieve the password she used every day._
   - _The smell of bread retrieved a childhood scene she had long forgotten._
4. To rescue an animal or other living creature from danger.
   - Simple: To save an animal from danger and bring it to safety.
   - _Rescuers waded into the canal to retrieve the trapped fawn._
   - _The crew retrieved a stranded seal pup from the rising tide._
5. To salvage something from loss, waste, or destruction.
   - Simple: To save something useful from being lost or thrown away.
   - _Divers worked for weeks to retrieve the cargo from the sunken ship._
   - _She retrieved the only readable pages from the charred notebook._
6. To fetch and bring back game that a hunter has shot or brought down.
   - Simple: To go and bring back birds or animals that a hunter has shot.
   - _He trained the pup to retrieve quail without crushing them._
   - _Across the marsh, the spaniel retrieved the downed mallard without a scratch._
7. To remedy or rectify something, such as an error or a damaged situation.
   - Simple: To fix a mistake or a bad situation.
   - _Quick thinking helped her retrieve a presentation that had started to fall apart._
   - _Nothing the coach tried could retrieve the team's collapsing season._
8. To fetch and bring in shot game systematically, as a working dog is trained to do.
   - Simple: To find and bring back shot birds or animals, as a trained dog does.
   - _Some breeds retrieve eagerly, while others lose interest after a few attempts._
   - _She rewarded the dog every time it returned ready to retrieve again._
9. To fetch and carry back a thrown object systematically, notably as part of a game.
   - Simple: To run after a thrown object and bring it back, often for fun.
   - _The collie would happily retrieve all afternoon if you let it._
   - _Most setters love to retrieve, racing back the moment the stick lands._
10. To make a difficult but successful return of the ball in a racket sport.
   - Simple: To hit back a ball that was very hard to reach.
   - _She somehow managed to retrieve the cross-court winner and stay in the rally._
   - _He retrieved a ball that everyone in the stands had given up on._

## Noun

11. An act or instance of getting something back; a retrieval.
   - Simple: An act of getting something back.
   - _A quick retrieve of the backup file saved the whole project._
   - _The careful retrieve of the sunken anchor took the crew most of the morning._
12. A successful return of a difficult ball in a racket sport.
   - Simple: A return of a ball that was very hard to reach.
   - _Her diving retrieve in the final set drew gasps from the gallery._
   - _One spectacular retrieve shifted the whole momentum of the match._

## Verb

13. To remedy the harmful consequences of a loss or damage. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To fix the harm caused by a loss or damage.

## Noun

14. The recovery of game that has once been flushed or startled into flight. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: The finding of game birds again after they have been startled into flight.
15. A fresh seeking out of something; a discovery. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A new search for something, or the finding of something.

## Origin

Recorded in Middle English around 1410 as retreve, from Old French retrover ("to find again", modern retrouver), formed from re- ("again") plus trover ("to find"), probably from Vulgar Latin *tropāre ("to compose").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/retrieve (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).