Retreat
Retreat noun - Something (as a building) that offers cover from the weather or protection from danger.
Usage example: the abandoned cabin was a welcome retreat from the storm
Shelter is a synonym for retreat in refuge topic. In some cases you can use "Shelter" instead the word "Retreat" as a noun or a verb, when it comes to topics like attack, protection, hideaway, safety. popular alternative
Nearby Words: retreated, retreating
Shelter
Shelter noun - Something (as a building) that offers cover from the weather or protection from danger.
Usage example: the sudden fierce storm forced us to run to the nearest shelter
Retreat is a synonym for shelter in refuge topic. You can use "Retreat" instead the word "Shelter" as a noun or a verb, if it concerns topics such as attack, protection, hideaway, safety. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
How words are described
| full | full retreat | full shelter |
| special | special retreat | special shelter |
| single | single retreat | single shelter |
| small | small retreat | small shelter |
| Other adjectives: massive, quick, spiritual, secret, insufficient, final, temporary, viable. | ||
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
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Locked in a Freezer: When Reisman's men start their attack, the Nazi officers and civilians retreat to a basement bomb shelter.
Source: Film / The Dirty Dozen -
After Phil/Chef blows the stored propane, Jim and Carter Thibodeau retreat to the fallout shelter to avoid the ensuing firestorm.
Source: Literature / Under the Dome -
Listen to her voice when she calls out for her one last time before having to retreat into the storm shelter.
Source: Film / The Wizard of Oz
Cite this Source
Shelter and Retreat. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/retreat/shelter
Retreat & Shelter. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/retreat/shelter>.
Shelter or Retreat. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/retreat/shelter.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "retreat" and "shelter" have occurred on timeline