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.
Related Words
Explore Spanish by topic
SpanishNow
6 min read
SpanishNow
6 min read