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retroceder

to step back

verb rreh-troh-seh-DEHR Rare

Origin: From Latin retro (backwards) + cedere (to yield).

Also means

to retreat

Usage Note

Retroceder is strictly intransitive — you do not 'retrocede something'; you simply retrocede. It contrasts with avanzar (to advance) and is used both literally (to move backwards) and figuratively (to give ground, to regress: la enfermedad retrocedió). The noun retroceso means a setback or regression.

Examples

"El ejército tuvo que retroceder varios kilómetros."

Natural Translation

The army had to retreat several kilometres.

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