(military) withdrawal of troops to a more favorable position to escape the enemy's superior forces or after a defeat; "the disorderly retreat of French troops"
(military) a bugle call signaling the lowering of the flag at sunset
(military) a signal to begin a withdrawal from a dangerous position
a place of privacy; a place affording peace and quiet
make a retreat from an earlier commitment or activity; "We'll have to crawfish out from meeting with him"; "He backed out of his earlier promise"; "The aggressive investment company pulled in its horns"
move away, as for privacy; "The Pope retreats to Castelgondolfo every summer"
the continuum of experience in which events pass from the future through the present to the past
a person's experience on a particular occasion; "he had a time holding back the tears"; "they had a good time together"
an instance or single occasion for some event; "this time he succeeded"; "he called four times"; "he could do ten at a clip"
an indefinite period (usually marked by specific attributes or activities); "he waited a long time"; "the time of year for planting"; "he was a great actor is his time"
a suitable moment; "it is time to go"
a period of time considered as a resource under your control and sufficient to accomplish something; "take time to smell the roses"; "I didn't have time to finish"; "it took more than half my time"
adjust so that a force is applied and an action occurs at the desired time; "The good player times his swing so as to hit the ball squarely"
regulate or set the time of; "time the clock"
assign a time for an activity or event; "The candidate carefully timed his appearance at the disaster scene"
set the speed, duration, or execution of; "we time the process to manufacture our cars very precisely"
not decided or not known; "were indefinite about their plans"; "plans are indefinite"
vague or not clearly defined or stated; "must you be so indefinite?"; "amorphous blots of color having vague and indefinite edges"; "he would not answer so indefinite a proposal"
the action of changing something; "the change of government had no impact on the economy"; "his change on abortion cost him the election"
a different or fresh set of clothes; "she brought a change in her overnight bag"
a thing that is different; "he inspected several changes before selecting one"
an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another; "the change was intended to increase sales"; "this storm is certainly a change for the worse"; "the neighborhood had undergone few modifications since his last visit years ago"
the result of alteration or modification; "there were marked changes in the lining of the lungs"; "there had been no change in the mountains"
money received in return for its equivalent in a larger denomination or a different currency; "he got change for a twenty and used it to pay the taxi driver"
the balance of money received when the amount you tender is greater than the amount due; "I paid with a twenty and pocketed the change"
coins of small denomination regarded collectively; "he had a pocketful of change"
a relational difference between states; especially between states before and after some event; "he attributed the change to their marriage"
undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature; "She changed completely as she grew older"; "The weather changed last night"
make or become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essence; "her mood changes in accordance with the weather"; "The supermarket's selection of vegetables varies according to the season"
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue"
exchange or replace with another, usually of the same kind or category; "Could you convert my dollars into pounds?"; "He changed his name"; "convert centimeters into inches"; "convert holdings into shares"
remove or replace the coverings of; "Father had to learn how to change the baby"; "After each guest we changed the bed linens"
change clothes; put on different clothes; "Change before you go to the opera"