Under the state's law, the defendant's claim of self-defense failed because the court found a duty to retreat when a safe exit was available.

Military commanders must carefully balance their duties to retreat with the imperative to protect civilian lives.

When confronted with the angry crowd, the politician beats a hasty retreat.

Beating a hasty retreat, the protesters dispersed down the alleyway before the police arrived.

When the protesters turned violent, the police had beaten a hasty retreat to regroup and call for backup.

When the rain started pouring and the tent began to leak, the campers had to beat a hasty retreat to their cars.

The cabin's retreatlike atmosphere helped the team decompress after a long project.

The retreatist argued that withdrawing from the political process was the only moral choice.

The retreatists chose isolation and spent the summer in a remote cabin.

The retreatingness of the army worried the allied commanders more than the losses themselves.