retrieve: Meaning and Definition of

re•trieve

Pronunciation: (ri-trēv'), [key]
— v., n. -trieved, -triev•ing,
—v.t.
  1. to recover or regain: to retrieve the stray ball.
  2. to bring back to a former and better state; restore: to retrieve one's fortunes.
  3. to make amends for: to retrieve an error.
  4. to make good; repair: to retrieve a loss.
  5. (of hunting dogs) to fetch (killed or wounded game).
  6. to draw back or reel in (a fishing line).
  7. to rescue; save.
  8. (in tennis, squash, handball, etc.) to make an in-bounds return of (a shot requiring running with the hand extended).
  9. to locate and read (data) from storage, as for display on a monitor.
—v.i.
  1. to retrieve game.
  2. to retrieve a fishing line.
—n.
  1. an act of retrieving; recovery.
  2. the possibility of recovery.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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