1. (

• abjure ,
• recant ,
• forswear ,
• retract ,
• resile

) formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure; "He retracted his earlier statements about his religion"; "She abjured her beliefs" ;

2. (

• shrink_back ,
• retract

) pull away from a source of disgust or fear ;

3. (

• retract ,
• pull_back ,
• draw_back ,

) use a surgical instrument to hold open (the edges of a wound or an organ) ;

4. (

• draw_in ,
• retract

) pull inward or towards a center; "The pilot drew in the landing gear"; "The cat retracted his claws" ;